Lexington mom’s son dies awaiting heart transplant, encourages others to become donors

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Sarah Gilbert’s son Jacob was diagnosed with a heart condition at 16-months-old.  Jacob was awaiting a heart transplant, but while he waited his condition worsened and doctors took him off of the transplant list. He soon died before his fifth birthday, without getting the new organ that he needed to survive.

In Kentucky, more than 980 people are awaiting an organ transplant. Braxton Upthegrove is an organ donation recipient and waited three years before an appropriate donor was found.

Gilbert and Upthegrove are encouraging people to register with the Kentucky donors list and help other people get a second chance at life. You can become an organ donor by visiting www.donatelifeky.org