LifeSource

On Saturday, we welcomed donor families and their loved ones to our annual Healing Garden Open House event. This year, 230 new names were added to the Memorial Wall and two Garden Benches were dedicated in memory of generous donors. It was a beautiful morning as we honored and remembered donors who gave the gift of organ, tissue and eye donation.

Interested in submitting your loved one's name to be inscribed on the LifeSource Memorial Wall? For all the details, visit https://www.life-source.org/donor-families/healing-garden/

August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM) — a time to unite behind a single mission: raising awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation among multicultural communities.

Why it matters?

A diverse and robust donor registry saves more lives — particularly in communities hit hardest by diseases that can lead to organ failure.

Stay Connected!

Follow along throughout the month as we share stories and more information about NMDAM.

For most teenagers, life revolves around school, sports and spending time with friends. For Carter, a 17-year-old baseball player from Minnesota, those things are still important — but they carry a deeper meaning today.

After surviving multiple cardiac arrests, months in the hospital and a heart transplant at age 16, Carter is back on the baseball field doing what he loves most. His journey is one of resilience, family, medical innovation and an extraordinary act of generosity that gave him a second chance at life.

Despite being diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy in 2021, Carter continued to do what he loved. He played baseball, attended school and tried to live life as normally as possible. All while knowing that one day he would need a heart transplant.

Fast forward to 2024; he was having one of the best baseball seasons of his life. From the stands, no one would have guessed what was happening inside his heart.

On Labor Day weekend, everything changed. Carter experienced a cardiac arrest while practicing baseball. Just days later, Carter suffered additional cardiac arrests.

By October, an echocardiogram revealed his heart was failing. What followed was a season of uncertainty.

Instead of attending school, getting his driver’s license and planning for baseball, Carter spent his 16th birthday in the hospital waiting for a donor heart.

One day after Carter’s 16th birthday, the call finally came. A heart was available.

Today, he’s back to many of the activities he loves. He’s spending time with family, friends and his girlfriend. He’s attending Twins, Timberwolves and Wild games. Most importantly, he’s back on the baseball field.

Shortly after transplant, Carter wrote a letter to the donor’s family. Eventually, they connected with the family of Hunter, the young man from Ohio whose decision to become an organ donor saved Carter’s life. The connection has grown into a meaningful relationship.

Carter carries photos of Hunter and keeps his memory close.
Today, his story serves as a powerful reminder of the life-changing impact of organ donation and the strength that can emerge in the face of adversity. And as he prepares for his senior year, one thing is clear: Carter’s story is no longer defined by the heart condition he was born with. It’s defined by the life he’s determined to live with the heart he was given.

Check out our latest blog post for the full story https://www.life-source.org/latest/https-www-life-source-org-latest-from-hospital-room-to-home-plate-carters-journey-after-heart-transplant/

On Saturday, July 18th, nearly 200 people joined us for the Strides for Second Chances Walk and Picnic in Fargo. Whether you walked, sponsored, volunteered, participated in the program or joined us in spirit, thank you for being part of a day filled with remembrance, gratitude, and hope. Together, we are creating a lasting legacy—one conversation, one decision, and one stride at a time.

In the comments, please share any photos you took from the event! We’d love to see them 💙🧡

KTTC TV stopped by the Mayo Clinic's annual Celebration of Life Picnic to capture the incredible story of a donor family and transplant recipient meeting 30 years after the donation. Although they met for the first time just a few weeks ago, they gathered again at the picnic in Rochester. Take a moment to watch the heartwarming video.

Organ Donor and Recipient meet at Mayo Clinic Picnic 30 years after donation

If you're ever in the area, we encourage you to stop by the Rice Triangle Garden in Saint Paul! We are one of the sponsors of this beautiful space and proud to be involved in a project that our friend, Melvin Giles, was so deeply passionate about. Check it out!

In June, we got groups together from Lifesource, Clear Channel, Fairview Health, Urban Farm and Garden Alliance, and MHS to w**d and plant the Rice Triangle Garden in Saint Paul. This garden started in 2017 and today, it is full of veggie plants, Asiatic lilies, and so many purple flowers for our dear friend, Melvin Giles, who we lost last summer. Next time you visit the capitol area, swing by the corner of Como and Rice to see the beautiful garden in action! 💜