Luis Palau, Jr.
Philadelphia, PA
Double-lung transplant recipient

Luis Palau, Jr., an active husband and father of two, received a life-saving double-lung transplant. Luis, age 52, was diagnosed with a rare type of pneumonia and when the infection accelerated, he was taken to Temple University Hospital and intubated.

Unfortunately, Luis fell into a coma for three months, during which he had a near-death experience and lost 50 pounds. Soon after, he received his second chance at life.

“Getting the transplant was a relief, a sense of freedom from what I was going through,” he stated. “You need to have a lot of fortitude to go through this, my family was the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Luis, of Puerto Rican descent, has made it his mission to increase awareness about the need for organ donation in his community. There are over 100,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the U.S., of which about 20%, or 20,000 people, are Latino.

“I’m thankful to Gift of Life, I knew nothing about organ donation before I needed a double-lung transplant. It is so much more than checking off a box at the DMV. There is great need for minorities to register as organ donors, eventually your life will be touched by this.”