In 1998, Rocky Johnson began having heart problems. Doctors spent the next four years treating Rocky. Then in 2002, he was taken to Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City to be evaluated for a heart transplant. While there, his “system completely shut down.”
He spent the next seven months waiting for a heart transplant. He jokingly says that while in the hospital he tried to convince the nurses that he was part Native-American, but they didn’t believe him, as his skin had turned gray due to his heart condition.
Rocky says he felt better immediately after the heart transplant. “I never realized how sick I was until after my transplant. I felt so good immediately that I could not believe it. And when those nurses saw me after the transplant and the change in my body, they knew I was right!”
While the heart transplant saved his life, Rocky believes his work has just started, as there is such a need for organ donation. “People don’t realize how many lives are dependent on an organ donation to survive. I feel that it’s my job to help educate the community,” says Rocky.
“I find joy by speaking to others about the positive impact organ donation has made on my life.”
