Yoel and Karla Cruz aspired to build a family, and a family business, from a young age. The birth of their two beautiful daughters made them even more driven to pursue their dream. Yoel founded Xtreme Body Shop alongside Karla, and grew it into a thriving reality. He was a devoted husband, father, and natural leader, who earned the respect of his colleagues and clients in the auto body repair field through his passion, talent, and dedication.

Tragically, a car accident cut Yoel’s life short. Despite this profound loss, Yoel and Karla believed in organ and tissue donation. In a final act of love and generosity, Yoel became a tissue donor.

Today, Karla carries on Yoel’s legacy by encouraging others to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. She reminds us that love and generosity endure beyond life’s hardest challenges. Through her work and dedication, Karla honors Yoel’s legacy, inspiring others to give the gift of life.

On April 22, 2023, Kelly Weible, an active wife and avid cruiser, became a tissue recipient after a freak accident left her unable to walk on her own. Kelly was busy cooking dinner when she slipped, falling into a lateral split on the kitchen floor. “At first, I didn’t think I really hurt myself because I could get up and walk. Well, after falling three more times my husband got our walker out,” shared Kelly.  

Unbeknownst to Kelly, she had completely torn the ACL in her knee and would need that walker for the next four weeks until the gift of a life-enhancing tissue graft provided new hope. “I felt like I would never walk again. I had good and bad days. In a blink of an eye, I went from being very active to needing a walker, help with getting dressed, showering and restroom breaks,” said Kelly. Being unable to fully care for herself took a mental toll on Kelly, and her husband, who she calls her rock, played a significant role in keeping her positive throughout her injury with his display of love, care and support.

After an MRI confirmed the extent of her injury the recommended treatment was an ACL tissue transplant from a deceased donor. Kelly is thrilled to share post-transplant, “I have my life back! I am so excited to say that! I can do for myself things that I could not before.” While Kelly continues to recover from her surgery and builds her strength back, she is looking forward to cruising once again in April to celebrate her anniversary with her husband and getting back to her other passion of dance.

When Kelly was younger, she remembers, “I didn’t have organ donor on my driver’s license. Honestly, I was afraid of even the thought of it.” In the last 15 years Kelly has changed her mind, “I am older, wiser and connected spiritually and I’m honored to say I am an organ donor now.”

Kelly wrote a message of thanks and gratitude to her donor’s family. “I feel honored and blessed to have a part of them living on inside of me so that my quality of life can be restored. I will be forever grateful,” said Kelly. She wants others to know how the beautiful act and kindness of registering to become a donor can impact the lives of many. “If by sharing my story will help just one person become a donor, then I feel I have helped to make a difference in a world where organ and tissue donation is desperately needed. It is so important, and it truly is the gift of life that keeps on giving,” shared Kelly.

Thanks to her tissue donor Kelly is once again active, dancing and able to spend quality time with her family! Anyone regardless of age or medical history can register their decision to save lives through organ and tissue donation with their local state donor registry.

As the eldest of five children, Jacquez was a role model for his younger siblings. Marcia, Jacquez’s mom, described him as the peacemaker of the family who always had a smile on his face. Jacquez began playing football in eighth grade and continued to do so as a student in high school.

In the middle of a football game, tragedy struck, and Jacquez collapsed on the field. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors discovered that Jacquez suffered bleeding in his brain due to an undiagnosed condition called arteriovenous malformation, or AVM; a condition so rare that only 1% of the population is affected. Doctors told Marcia there was no way to prevent or predict such an event, and it could have affected Jacquez at any time.

Jacquez had registered as an organ donor when he obtained his driver license, telling his mom, “I would love to be a donor one day if I can.” His family honored his decision and Jacquez saved seven lives through organ transplantation and improved 71 lives through tissue donation. His story touched many people, not only in his hometown, but all around the country.

Marcia still mourns the loss of her eldest son but focuses now on the Jacquez Welch Foundation created to bring heightened awareness to AVM and to provide scholarship funds for higher education. Marcia wants others to know that organ and tissue donation is a great thing. “We all have family members who may have health problems. Why not help someone if you can?”

Born with a cleft palette, Meili Armstrong endured three major surgeries by the time she was adopted and brought home from China at age two. Since then, Meili has undergone many more procedures, and eventually, her orthodontist suggested that donated tissue from a tissue donor would help minimize future surgeries.

Meili participates in multiple activities like gymnastics and Mandarin classes, but her favorite so far is softball. After watching her older brother play baseball, at six years old Meili joined a softball team.

When asked about the impact of Meili’s tissue donor and other donor heroes, Meili’s mother, Teresa, says, “Donors and donor families may not realize how big of an impact their gift can have, especially when it comes to bone graft and tissue donation. Meili can smile with confidence now and her smile is a direct reflection of our gratitude.”

Steve developed a deep appreciation for organ and tissue donors and their families through his role as a Hospital Development Liaison with LifeLink, responsible for hospital staff education about the importance of organ and tissue donation. He never imagined he would one day also have a personal connection to the families LifeLink serves. However, Steve was burned over 10 percent of his body during a controlled burn of brush at his home and received skin grafts from a tissue donor that helped heal his body. Steve marveled that months after his accident, his healing was so advanced that no one could tell which side of his body had been injured. Initially after his accident, Steve, who is an avid outdoorsman and hunter, feared that he would not be able to do the things he loved. Since his recovery, he has been able to resume outdoor activities he enjoys. Steve wrote to his donor’s family and was excited when he received communication back and learned about his donor, Bill, who was, ironically, a firefighter. Steve thinks of Bill daily and tells their shared story at each new nurse orientation. Since his tissue transplant, Steve has a deeper love and appreciation for his job at LifeLink.

From an early age, Caroline was an active picture of good health, but around middle school she noticed her knee and hip would dislocate frequently, mostly while doing normal, everyday activities. As Caroline got older, the pain with each dislocation grew worse and Caroline learned she had a congenital condition impacting her bones and joints. Several surgeries to correct the condition did not relieve Caroline’s pain so she sought another medical opinion and learned a tissue transplant could alleviate her discomfort. Caroline underwent surgeries on each knee separately, and within six months she was pain-free. “My tissue transplants changed my life in ways that I didn’t know they could. It is the most powerful earthly gift I’ve ever received.” Caroline is grateful to have met one of the donor families who helped restore her mobility. As a graduating senior at Kennesaw State University, studying exercise science with further aspirations to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Caroline plans to continue to help others with pain and physical challenges.

Mr. James William Adams, III, cared deeply for his family and community. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and faithful member of his church who loved gardening with his wife, Cheryl. Cheryl said James’ purpose in life was to love everybody, which he certainly did. As a healthcare professional, James was dedicated to exercising and eating well, and it was while he was exercising at the gym in the hospital where he also worked that James unexpectedly passed away. James and Cheryl had previously discussed the importance of organ and tissue donation and both had registered to be donors at their local driver license office. Thanks to James’ decision, he impacted 20 lives through his cornea and tissue donations. Cheryl is proud of the renewed life James’ donation has given others as a final gift of love and grateful to LifeLink of Georgia for helping her to heal. For those families who are on the fence about donation, she says, “Breathe, pray on it, and say yes.”