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This Thing Called LifeAuthor: Network For Hope
This Thing Called Life is a podcast dedicated to acts of giving, kindness, compassion, and humanity. Host Andi Johnson introduces you to powerful organ, tissue, and eye donation stories from individuals, families, and front-line healthcare teams. These stories are meant to inspire and remind you that while life can be challenging and unpredictable, its also incredibly beautiful. We hope this podcast inspires you to connect with our life-saving and life-healing mission. Language: en Genres: Personal Journals, Relationships, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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EP 134: Honoring the Gift of Life: Erica Randall’s Journey with Network for Hope and Organ Donation
Episode 136
Tuesday, 23 December, 2025
EP 134 Title: Honoring the Gift of Life: Erica Randall’s Journey with Network for Hope and Organ Donation Episode Summary In this heartfelt episode, Erica Randall, Community Partnership and Events Manager at Network for Hope, shares her inspiring journey in building stronger communities and advocating for organ donation. Erica opens up about her role within the organization, highlighting the rewarding experience of organizing the annual Network for Hope Community Breakfast. But the conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Erica reflects on her family’s connection to organ donation, including the passing of her cousin Jason, who became an organ donor after a tragic car accident, and her mother-in-law Gail, who gave the gift of sight through cornea donation. Erica also discusses the creation of the SODA (Student Organ Donation Advocates) chapter in Cincinnati, which has now grown to 7-8 thriving chapters, and her deep passion for honoring both donors and recipients. Tune in to hear about Erica’s mission to spread awareness, inspire others, and make a lasting impact on the lives of those touched by organ donation. Episode Highlights Erica Randall discusses her role at Network for Hope as the Community Partnerships and Events Manager, where she builds bridges between communities and the life-saving mission of donation. They recently held their annual breakfast event, themed “Voices of Hope,” where speakers reflected on the joy, resilience, and positivity of children and young adults impacted by donation. The event was visually brought to life through participants’ paintings surrounding the word hope, creating a powerful representation of lived experiences. Andi and Erica highlight Keegan, a young boy waiting for a lung transplant whose optimism and enthusiasm inspired everyone in the room. Erica shared the story of Jaylynn, a cornea recipient who is now thriving as a high-school senior, illustrating how donation restores independence and possibility. Erica has spent nine years in the OPO field and is deeply committed to educating communities about how the donation process truly works. Erica shares how the loss of her cousin Jason, who became an organ donor after a fatal car accident at 23, introduced her to the world of donation. She reflects on more than a decade of donation support services, building meaningful relationships with donor families during their most vulnerable moments. Erica explains why specific medical questions are asked during tissue donation, emphasizing safety, ethics, and protection for recipients. Erica’s mother-in-law Gail was diagnosed with liver cancer yet still became a cornea donor at age 66, restoring sight to two people in Saudi Arabia. Gail’s story highlights the importance of educating the public that certain donations are still possible—even with active cancer diagnoses. Erica shares her work with the Student Organ Donation Advocates (SODA) chapter in Ohio, where over 550 students registered as donors. She emphasizes how today’s teenagers are setting a powerful standard for social impact and advocacy. Andi thanks Erica for her transparency, leadership, and dedication to sharing knowledge that empowers informed decisions about donation. Key Takeaways Education dispels fear. Accurate, compassionate education helps families and communities understand donation and make informed decisions rooted in truth—not misinformation. Hope has many voices. From children waiting for transplants to recipients thriving years later, each story demonstrates the ripple effect of donation. Legacy lives on through giving. Personal loss, like Erica’s experience with her cousin Jason, can transform grief into purpose and lifelong advocacy. Tweetable Quotes “So our theme is voices of hope. And we did feature children and young adults. And I liked that idea because I wanted to show people it's not just adults who go through this. It does impact, you know, children at birth, or it does impact children very young age.” - Erica Randall “So Jalen scratched her cornea when she was two years old and had to receive a cornea transplant. She is now a senior in high school in cosmetology. I'm so proud of her, and she is a signed professional Fisher woman. Oh, my God, and to see her just thrive all because of a cornea transplant, and how her life, I mean, she could be 17 years old with no eye, or she could have no vision.” - Erical Randall “At 23 years old, he (Jason, Erica’s cousin) became a superhero, and he was able to donate his heart, his liver, his kidneys, and he was a tissue donor. So that completely flipped our lives upside down, but introduced me to a world of donation I had no clue even existed.” - Erica Randall “I think it's an honor to give them the chance to have that light that somebody gave me when Jason became a donor. It gave us some positivity to his death. It gave us some glimpse of hope, some light in our lives, and to give that, to pass that on to somebody else, to have that chance was a great privilege.” - Erica Randall “She (Gail, Erica’s Mother-in-Law) became a cornea donor at the age of 66 in her corneas, or in Saudi Arabia. So two people in Saudi Arabia have the gift of sight because of her. So, again, great moment here to educate people that can be cornea donors and have active cancer.” - Erica Randall Resources: Donatelifeky.org https://getoffthelist.org/ https://www.networkforhope.org/ https://www.networkforhope.org/about-us/ https://www.networkforhope.org/stories-of-hope/ https://www.facebook.com/NetworkForHopeOPO https://www.youtube.com/@NetworkforHope. https://aopo.org/ RegisterMe.org/NetworkforHope
