DETROIT – A soldier who spent years helping to save lives, working as an Army medic, is speaking out and urging people to consider becoming an organ donor.
Lisa Haney said her life is like a drama.
“I said I’ll write a book,” Haney joked while visiting Henry Ford Health.
We all know dramas have their twists and turns. And Haney’s personal story is no different.
“This is another episode right here,” Haney said. “So, this will be a chapter right here.”
Haney grew up on Detroit’s west side. She spent most of her career in the military. For much of that time, she served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army.
“There wasn’t that many of us medics,” Haney explained. “There wasn’t that many of us medics in the company. So, everybody knows who you are.”
After 13 years, Sgt. Haney decided not to re-enlist.
“If you’re over 40, you have to get an EKG before you leave the service,” Haney said.”
It was during that EKG, that Haney said the medical team saw something abnormal. She was told her heart rate was extremely low. Haney was told she needed a pacemaker.
Then more drama came.
“Another transition,” she said. “Started having symptoms. Auras, as I call it. Feeling faint. Sweats.”
Haney admitted she didn’t tell anyone about the episodes with her heart. Not even her family knew about her health condition until it was dangerously late.
“They took the pacemaker out and put the defibrillator in,” Haney described. “The one that can shock you. And it did during this whole thing. It shocked me a few times.”
It had become clear, that the woman who family members once saw as a strong solider wasn’t well.
“For us to truly understand how we needed to support her was important,” said Concetta Lewis, her cousin and patient advocate.
Doctors at Henry Ford Health told Haney it was time to consider a heart transplant. So, she was put on the donor waiting list.
”In our center, we do on average about 25 to 30 transplants in a year,” said Dr. Lindey Aurora, an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist with Henry Ford Health. She’s part of the team that’s been working with Haney.
Healthcare workers said there are some challenges involving organ donation and access to organs.
“Right now, what I can simply say is that there is a supply-demand mismatch,” explained Dr. Aurora. “We have many patients with heart failure, with in-stage heart failure, that are in need of transplants and not enough donors. So, that’s one of the biggest challenges.”
Haney’s drama took a turn in August 2023. She received a new heart. Her family has been helping her recover.
For now, the former soldier said her mission is spreading awareness and being an advocate for organ donation across Metro Detroit.
“If you are interested, it can help a lot of people.,” Haney said.
Haney said she has had a chance to communicate with her donor’s family through the organization Gift of Life.
Haney and doctors said people can be proactive about becoming organ donors by talking with their health care providers and checking the donor box when getting a state-issued license.
Read: How do I sign up to become an organ and tissue donor?
People can register to donate organs, tissue and eyes at the end of their life to someone in need of a transplant. They can also explore a “living donation” -- or giving a kidney or part of their liver to someone in need while both individuals are living.
Michiganders can enroll using the Online Michigan Organ Donor Registry or sign up for organ donation when renewing or requesting a replacement license or state ID card.
Gift of Life Michigan, an organization that facilitates organ and tissue donations, works with the Michigan Secretary of State to grow and maintain the registry, you can click here to learn more and to sign up to become a donor.