Sharing the gift of life: Local couple in need of organ transplant raises organ donor awareness

Cleveland Daily Banner | William Wright

Today, more than 113,000 Americans await an organ transplant with more than 17,000 awaiting liver transplants in the U.S. Jim Jones of Cleveland is on that organ transplant list.

But he and his wife, Sarah, are not just waiting for a lifesaving liver transplant. They are raising awareness about the importance of becoming an organ donor and saving lives. Their proactive approach to organ donation is helping to change the landscape of how many people view donating organs and tissues in lifesaving treatments.

Jim, co-owner of Dick Jones and Associates, Inc. in Cleveland, a manufacturer’s representative company that caters to the needs of the agricultural industry, said he realized he needed a liver transplant after a blood test revealed he had hepatitis-C, an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver.

“It’s my liver now, but it started with kidney cancer,” Jim said. “I was diagnosed with stage 3 renal cell carcinoma and had my left kidney removed on Jan. 2, 2003.”

Read more: Cleveland Daily Banner - Sharing the gift of life Local couple in need of organ transplant raises organ donor awareness