Bryan Hopper – Died Awaiting Heart Transplant

When I was 21 years old, I married my college sweetheart.  His name was Bryan Hopper and he was 24 years old.

Bryan had Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy, but that did not slow him down.  He was active in church and was studying for his engineering degree at Western Kentucky University.

Bryan developed pneumonia after we were married, and because of the muscular dystrophy, his heart enlarged quickly.

Bryan was on the transplant list for a heart for less than two months when he died.

I remember sitting with families of other patients that were waiting for or already had transplants.  It was a time filled with fear, hope, and guilt.

It is hard to pray for an organ when it means another has to die for it.

There will always be a need for organs … I thank those that make the decision to give.