DANVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Valentine's Day is just around the corner, but for the Emerson family, it means a little more. It's the 10th anniversary of Alisha Emerson’s perfect Valentine — a new heart.
She says, "I couldn’t imagine living a life where I didn’t have heart failure and I wasn’t saved from organ donation. I couldn’t imagine my life without all that. You know like God had blessed me in so many ways."
Emerson was living with restrictive cardiomyopathy. She was in and out of the hospital regularly for cardioversions to restore normal rhythm. Before she got the call, she was told she had five days to live. She was 30 years old. But 21-year-old Blake Adkins' heart gave her a second chance. She's still in contact with his family and speaks with his mom regularly.
Emerson says, "I remember laying in the hospital before my transplant praying to God. The only thing I wanted in life was to be a mom."
In the last ten years, she got married and now has two boys. She says this journey changed her life.
"God has blessed me in so many ways, so many ways, and you know I’m close with Blake’s family which is another blessing. I just talked to his mom last night,” says Emerson.
She says Adkins signed up to be a donor just three months before he passed. Donations in Kentucky keep rising. There were 693 lives saved here in 2023. Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliate’s philanthropy director, Shannon Adkins’ son, was also able to save lives through donations. She explains that for families, it's the ultimate way to honor your loved ones.
Shannon Adkins says, "When organ donation, when tissue donation happens there’s a level of peace and comfort that comes from that, that nothing else can provide other than our strong faith."
Emerson makes sure her kids know what Blake Adkins did for her and their family. When she was younger, she says she didn't believe in organ donation, but after her surgery, she had a change of heart. For anyone on the fence, she wants them to know the difference it makes in people’s lives.
She says, "I mean Blake is a hero for what he's done. So why would you not want to save a life, you know, and to be able to see you know the family, be able to see that person strive in life, and you know all their dreams come true? You know all of my dreams have come true."
Now, Valentine’s Day will always have a special place in this family's heart. For more information on how to donate, you can visit here.
