CROSS, SC (WCSC) – There are more than 113,000 names on organ transplant waiting lists across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
With August being National Multicultural Donor Awareness Month, one transplant recipient shares her story and gives back.
Angela Pickney-Hall says she has been playing basketball for as long as she can remember.
“I had cousins that I always played with. My uncle had a dirt ball field right across the street from his house in his yard and we played. We played until late and I was always getting in trouble because I never got home before the street light came on,” said Pickney-Hall.
“Basketball was a safe place for me. That was my comfort,” she said.
The Eutawville native is the women’s basketball coach at Cross High School, where she passes on her passion to her young players.
“I mean, I’m getting on in years. The kids try to outdo you a little bit, and I say, ‘Okay. I may be old, but I’m not going to let you do too much,'” says Pickney-Hall, laughing.
But during her third year at the University of South Florida, her eyesight deteriorated dramatically.
“It became very difficult for me to see the board. I was never one of those students who sat at the front of the class. I was always in the middle or at the back and had to move to the front,” Pickney-Hall said. “Harder to see, let alone play basketball. You think you see one thing, try to aim for the middle, but you have two others on the side.”
Pickney-Hall’s vision problems required her to wear glasses, but it wasn’t until she graduated that she learned what was really happening to her eyes.
“Then we went to the doctor here and he told me I had keratoconus. That’s the curvature of the cornea. It’s shaped like a cone. Everyone else’s cornea is round, but mine is like a ‘V’ – like a cone,” she said.
Pickney-Hall had two options: either go blind permanently or try her life again. After wrestling with the decision for about a decade, she decided to have a corneal transplant.
“My donor died so that this could be possible. That is a loss. And I am getting a second chance. I am infinitely grateful,” said Pickney-Hall.
Her second chance to see the world more clearly turned into a third chance. A few years ago, Pickney-Hall underwent another transplant to further correct her vision. Ultimately, two different donors gave their lives to enable Pickney-Hall to live an independent life as a coach, mother and new grandmother.
While Pickney Hall is considered a donor-recipient-donor success story, there are many other towns in the Palmetto State whose futures are in transition, especially in communities of color.
“There are over 1,700 people waiting for the gift of life in South Carolina, and over 65% of them come from multicultural communities,” said Krystal Cau, communications director for We Are Sharing Hope SC.
The agency facilitates organ, eye and tissue donation in South Carolina. The group’s goal is to educate communities of color about what it means to be a donor while dispelling myths and offering resources for preventative health care.
“For families, accepting the gift is a way to give their loved ones a little piece of hope during a really difficult time in their lives. That their loved one is leaving a legacy and can give hope to someone else,” Cau said.
Pickney-Hall has already received two transplants and is now giving back. She is now a registered donor and is encouraging others to do the same.
“If I can change someone’s life, that’s great. If I can touch someone and make them be better than they were before, that’s great. I’ve done my part,” Pickney-Hall said.
“There are a lot of emotions associated with getting a second chance at anything. Having a second chance to see again is, you know, immeasurable,” she said.
Although Pickney-Hall does not know the identities of her two donors, she thanks them and welcomes the opportunity to meet their families.
“You just don’t know how much you have changed my life. You have made me a better person than I was before,” said Pickney-Hall.
Those interested in registering as donors can visit this website.
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