Bullrider loses his life, but lets her live
“They had to go through a lot of approvals to put me back on the transplant list. Somehow they got it done. And within a week, they found another liver for me. It was amazing how fast it happened.
“They don’t let you know who the donor is, but I was able to write a letter of thanks after my first transplant. While I was in the hospital with the second transplant, the doctor was entering information in the computer when he said, ‘It’s a really sad situation with this liver donor. It was a 19-year-old boy who died in an accident. He was killed by a bull.’ I don’t know what he was thinking, telling me that. But I thought, oh my gosh, that’s so weird and so sad.
“After my surgery, one of my sisters was at the hospital looking at her iPad. She was showing my daughter something. And I was wondering, what are they whispering about? They didn’t want to tell me. It turns out this boy in Joshua, near the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, had a freak accident. He was an up-and-coming bullrider, and was practicing when he was thrown off the bull. He got tangled up underneath, and the bull trampled him. He was killed instantly.
“Apparently, he was an unbelievable young man. He talked about bullriding, family and faith, and the importance of his church and God. It’s really special to know that I’m connected to him in this way.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling. It hurts to think about the people who have passed away. But I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to continue my life.
“With everything I’ve gone through, I’m more educated about liver disease. I hope to begin sharing my story so that I might help somebody else.
“And I push for making sure people note on their driver’s license that they want to be a donor. By sharing your organs after you’re gone, you can give others a new lease on life. Two people have done that for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Because of their generosity, I’ve dodged two bullets.”
— RoxAnn Cruz-Martinez
RoxAnn’s second liver transplant was on Jan. 27, a day before her wedding anniversary.
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