Cade right before his 2018 heart transplant
For most of us, February 14 is the day that we associate with Valentine’s Day. But the holiday holds a very different and special meaning in Harlan, Kentucky, thanks to a very special special kid named Cade. Cade was born with a congenital heart defect that made everyday tasks difficult for him, until one fateful Valentine’s Day in 2018. On that day, he received word that he would be the recipient of a heart transplant. Not only was this life-changing for him, it happens that this special day is also National Donor Day – the day set aside to bring awareness to the importance of organ donation. I want to share with you more about Cade, and how we are celebrating love by focusing on National Donor Day at the coffee shop. There is even a special twist that shows how many people are touched by organ donation.
Cade just about to walk into the hospital for his transplant!
We first met Cade in 2015, when our family moved to Harlan County from Boston. Cade is from a very loving family, and they were so good to welcome us to town. And as anyone who knows Cade will tell you, he is the sweetest soul. His positivity is such a bright light, even though he was quite a sick child when we first met him. His heart condition put a lot of strain on his young body and required him to receive supplemental oxygen. He wasn’t the kind of kid to complain about bringing an oxygen tank with him to school or to hang out. Instead, he was always full of smiles, and had the best way with younger children. Harlan is a small town, so Cade is known and adored widely. He never let his illness hold him back, and instead participated as much as he could. He is particularly known for his love of cooking.
The stress of having a child with a serious illness is something that most of us are fortunate to know very little about. Cade’s condition often meant that he had to travel great distances for very specialized care. Harlan is in deep in the mountains, and it takes more than an hour to reach an interstate. The closest hospitals in Lexington and Knoxville are about 3 hours drive away, one-way. And Cade was accustomed to traveling to Cincinnati and Saint Louis to see pediatric cardiologists. But through every trip to the hospital and to specialist, his family kept their faith. I am one of many who has been humbled and awed by their living testimony, particularly during scary times when Cade was very sick. Here is a typical update from Cade’s mother, Anne, from the hospital: God is good. He carries us through every valley and mountaintop. We are so thankful for his mercy and grace that are seeing us through this trial.
Cade today. If you want to join our efforts to donate to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, you can do so by clicking the link below. You can even tell them it is in honor of Cade!
Cade’s best chances of a full and healthy life rested on receiving a new heart, but it is not a simple matter to join a list of potential transplant recipients. First, he had to be healthy enough to be a good candidate, and it took a long time and visits with many hospitals to find a place that was willing to take him on as a potential donor candidate. Cade’s condition was extremely complicated. But, eventually, he was able to sign up o a transplant list, joining many children whose best chances at a new life came with the possibility of a new heart. Right now, in America, there are around 114,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. But the really difficult thing is that many of those people will not make it to transplant – about 20 people die every day waiting their turn. And so the Lindsey family waited, too, loving their child and living with the uncertainty of when and if his time would come.
And then, on Valentine’s Day of 2018, they received a life-changing call, and Cade received a transplant the next day. I’ll relay the story in Anne’s words:
On February 15, 2018, our family began the journey of one of our greatest milestones. This milestone is not a single event but a journey that will follow us throughout our lives. On this day, our son received the gift of life through a heart transplant. This single event has changed our lives forever.
Organ donation for our family is a journey through the diagnosis of congenital heart defect, navigating procedures throughout our son’s life and finally receiving the gift of a life-changing heart transplant at the age of 13. The journey continues with joy and hope as we watch our son enjoy the renewed life-giving energy provided by his new heart.
Post-transplant, Cade is now out and enjoying life with his family
Every time I watch my son accomplish something new like walking around his school, playing outside with friends and family, participating in activities where he once experienced limitations; I am in awe of the gift from our donor family. In the midst of their sorrow, they gave us life. In the midst of their tragedy and grief, they gave us hope and life.
Oh, how many of us were excited and overjoyed to hear that Cade would be offered this new chance at health and life. How many prayers were lifted up on his journey as his family rushed to pack up and get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. I cannot imagine what that long drive was like for them: the excitement, the fear, the ache they felt for the family who was going through a great loss at the same time that their child had a new chance. This mix of hope and loss, of joy and fear is the reason why Donor Day is on February 14th. Romantic love cannot hope to compete with the depths of emotion that occur at times like these, and our small tokens pale when compared to the true love of giving someone else a new life through organ donation.
Our lineup of Red Velvet drinks (and Red Velvet Truffles!) to celebrate Cade at Moonbow Tipple Coffee & Sweets
And a new chance at life is exactly what Cade has received. There have certainly been setbacks, and Cade has survived not only the transplant, but also an episode of rejection, and other injuries and illnesses that have been quite serious. But he is a whole new person: someone who can move about without the oxygen tank, whose bright smile continues to bear witness to faith and love. So often, with organ donation, we think about all that we have to lose, but this young teen from Harlan County shows us that organ donation is really about how much we stand to gain.
At our coffee shop in Harlan, we wanted to do something to acknowledge this amazing story and bring awareness to the issue of organ donation. We worked it out with Cade to come up with a special drink –a Red Velvet Cheesecake latte, frappe, and hot chocolate – that would be available to purchase for the Valentine’s holiday and beyond. Through the end of March, we are donating a dollar for every drink sold to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and the families there awaiting transplant. We are also helping collect gifts and toys. For the week of Valentine’s / Donor Day, we are doubling our donation. I am excited to share that in the first week we announced the promotion, we sold more than 50 Red Velvet drinks – not bad for a town of 1,400!
But my favorite part of the story happens here. I was in the coffee shop one morning early in February, working with my terrific staff and telling them about the new drink flavor and how we would promote it for National Donor Day. “Wow,” said Brittany, one of our baristas who had just begun working with us. “I think it is so awesome you are doing this. I am a survivor of a double lung transplant.” It was such an emotional moment. I had absolutely no idea that this bright young woman who had just returned to Harlan after accompanying her husband for his military service around the country was a transplant survivor. She explained that she had gotten her transplant at the age of 14 after spending a month in ICU. Brittany, it turns out, has Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic lung condition that can be fatal without this kind of treatment. And here she is, a living testimony to how lives can be changed with transplant. It gave a whole new purpose behind our work, and a whole new inspiration. She is now 16 years out from transplant, and is one of our most welcoming and energetic faces at the coffee shop.
Brittany, our lovely barrista who happens to be the survivor of a double lung transplant!
Signing up to be an organ donor is an act we can all do, whether single or happily married, rich or poor. To me, it is far greater than the bouquets and cards and chocolates we associate with February 14, and bring such a richness to this time of year. My husband and I are registered organ donors through the DMV, but you can also sign up online and let your family know your wishes.
This past year, so many of us have had our gaze fixed on the balance of health and sickness, life and death. The Coronavirus has touched us all, and countless numbers of us have lost people unexpectedly. Right now, so many of us are waiting our turn for vaccination to ensure good health. But as we wash our hands and mask up and keep our distance, we can also use this newfound awareness to spread a little light in this world. Won’t you sign up to be an organ donor? Won’t you spread the word to those you know, to let them know that you choose to be a donor? It doesn’t have to be an issue of darkness, or secrecy. We can tell the story of Cade and Brittany, and be so thankful for the families who turned their terrible loss into new life for someone else. After all, the greatest gift is love.
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Sky and Geoff Marietta are passionate about rebuilding Main Street businesses in Appalachian Kentucky. Look for some of our blog posts below, or find out more about our start here.
