Young transplant recipients gifted scholarship in memory of Jessica Beth Schwartz

Gift of Life Donor Program | Patirce

On Sunday, March 18th, Janice Schwartz-Donahue stood at a podium in front of 200 fellow volunteers and announced that she was giving away $20,000 in scholarship money. Janice spoke of her daughter, Jessica Beth Schwartz, in which the scholarship is named after.

Janice told the crowd that just a few days after her daughter was born in January 1980, doctors diagnosed Jessica with congenital heart disease. By the time Jessica turned 14, she was unable to attend school on a regular basis as her heart and body began to slow down. Doctors told Janice that her daughter needed a heart transplant to survive. Jessica was hospitalized and added to the national transplant waiting list.

In September 1994, Jessica received the gift of lift she had patiently waited for, a new heart. Jessica had renewed life with her transplant, but also had new medical problems dealing with acute and chronic rejection. However, Jessica was determined to attain her goal of attending college so she enrolled at Temple University at the age of 18, with a major in Journalism. But, Jessica’s battle against acute and chronic rejection was overwhelming. Jessica died while she was a student at Temple University age the age of 23.

After Jessica’s untimely death, friends and family members made donations to Gift of Life Donor Program in her name. Janice wanted to help other children like Jessica achieve their dreams, so she and her family created the Jessica Beth Schwartz Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship of $2,500 provides tuition money to students who have had solid organ transplants and are planning on attending college or trade school.