Tonya’s mother, Sue, knew something was wrong with her baby. She drove to Columbus Children’s Hospital, and doctors took one look at Tonya and said she was a very sick little girl. They told Sue that if she had not brought Tonya to the hospital that day, she probably would not have made it through the weekend. Nine-month-old Tonya was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Tonya’s cystic fibrosis caused her to be a shy kid who knew she was “different.” She hardly ever smiled because her medication discolored her teeth, and she did not want other kids to make fun of her.

“I was afraid for people to know what was wrong with me for fear that they would treat me differently,” Tonya said. “I was sick and no one else was. They were doing all these things, and I couldn’t.”

Every year, Tonya had four two-week stays at Columbus Children’s Hospital. Trying to make the best out of the situation, Tonya referred to the hospital as “the club,” and she would bring fun clothes and a radio every trip.

Tonya was determined to live her life. She graduated from Bellevue High School and then from The Ohio State University, earning a degree in human ecology with a concentration in dietetics. She worked as a Clinical Nutrition Manager at the Fulton County Health Center. She fell in love with her husband, Mario, and they had a baby, Eric, in 2001. (They named their son Eric after Tonya’s brother, who passed away from cystic fibrosis.)

Getting through the workday was a struggle. Some mornings, Tonya physically could not get out of bed. If she would muster the strength to get to work, she fought her body’s urge to fall asleep. She knew it was bad, but she “didn’t want to come to terms with it.”

Tonya had frequent doctor’s appointments, and after one of her routine visits in September 2003, the doctor made her call her boss and say she could not return to work because she was too sick. On December 18, 2003, she was put on the national transplant waiting list for a double lung transplant. Doctors said Tonya would probably have to wait at least two years because her petite build would mean she would have to receive a child’s lungs.

Tonya could not imagine two more years of wearing oxygen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Of fighting her exhaustion to stay awake in church. Of working up the energy to take a shower and battling the urge to sleep afterward. Of not being active with her 2-year-old son. Of reading countless stories online about people who died waiting for transplants. Of not being able to sleep at night because she was afraid she would not wake up in the morning. Of trying to live on 19 percent lung function.

It was a normal Tuesday morning. Patient little Eric sat in bed with Tonya playing and flipping through books until she had the energy to start her day. Around 10 a.m., Tonya was making eggs for Eric, and the phone rang. “The call” came five months and one week after doctors told Tonya she would have to wait at least two years for her transplant.

It was time. Nervous and excited, Tonya and her family drove to the Cleveland Clinic. On May 25, 2004, Tonya received a life-saving double lung transplant.

Tonya returned home with energy she had never experienced in her 31 years. She could play with her son without fear that he would take off running and she would not be able to catch him. She held her breath much longer than the two measly seconds she could before her transplant. And she laughed at the air compressor – without coughing – as she blew up a whole inflatable pool by herself.

One year and two months after her transplant, Tonya’s donor family drove from Wisconsin to Tiffin, Ohio, to meet her. Her donor hero was a 10-year-old boy named Adam. Seeing Adam’s parents, Steve and Lori, for the first time was something Tonya will never forget.

“It was such a good, emotional meeting,” Tonya said. “Eric was three years old, and Steve took to him immediately. He was playing with him and they went swimming together. I think it was a little bit of healing because they saw that receiving Adam’s lungs meant I could raise my own child.”

Since then, Tonya has attended many gatherings with her donor family, including Steve and Lori’s daughter, April’s, wedding. There, April looked at Tonya and then said to her mom, “Adam really is here.”

Lori and Tonya have attended the Donate Life Transplant Games of America, an Olympic-style competition for transplant recipients, since 2010. Tonya has earned more than 20 medals.

“I love the Transplant Games because I have met so many wonderful friends from across the globe, and we all have that special transplant/donation connection. To see so much gratitude for life in one place is awe-inspiring,” Tonya said. “It’s a place where I can honor my donor, Adam, and other donors, and celebrate life with my family and transplant community. It is a reminder to never take anything for granted. A reminder of where I was and how far I have come. To hug multiple donor families – including my own – and thank them for their family’s donation. Everyone should experience it at least once because it is truly life-changing.”

Tonya volunteers for Life Connection of Ohio to promote the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Tonya is grateful to everyone who has given the gift of life through donation, especially her little hero, Adam.

“I’m honoring Adam by taking care of the lungs I’ve been given. I received this gift, and I feel compelled to share it with everybody,” Tonya said. “We have a saying – ‘Live like your donor is watching.’”

And she does. Every single day.