Kristina had signed up to be an organ donor at age 18 — the moment she legally could. She wanted to be a nurse. She wanted to heal people. When she passed on September 24, 2013, she did exactly that.
Within days, her organs had saved three lives:
- Two babies in the Bay Area each received a portion of her liver. One had been waiting for a parental donation that didn't match. The other had liver cancer.
- A family friend received one of her kidneys. He had been on dialysis for years. After the transplant, he was able to leave the hospital.
- A heart recipient at Stanford University received Kristina's heart. That recipient was Susan Vieira, a retired nurse from Campbell who would later reach out to the Chesterman family and vow to complete Kristina's bucket list.
Sandra reported that all recipients were doing well.
"We are so incredibly proud of Kristina because she wanted to be a nurse. She wanted to heal people and when she turned 18, she went to the donor website. She signed up to this. So, even though she's not with us on Earth, she's still saving lives and that means more to us than anyone could ever imagine."
— Sandra Chesterman
If you haven't registered as an organ and tissue donor, you can do so today at Donate Life California.
Originally reported by Tyler May, KRCR News Channel 7, October 1, 2013.