This Amazing Love Story Shows the Impact of Being an Organ Donor
November 05, 2024
This incredible love story reveals how organ donation can transform the lives of both the recipient and those around them.
Jennifer Hudson welcomed married couple Travis and Jennifer Ellis from Fayetteville, West Virginia, to “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to hear about the unbelievable way they met.
Jennifer was born with medical conditions that affected her lungs, and in 2015 — the same year she was crowned Ms. West Virginia — her health declined rapidly.
In just a few years, Jennifer’s condition became life-threatening and she needed oxygen around the clock to help her breathe. After a year of hospitalizations, she was put on the lung transplant waiting list.
“To pray for a transplant, I knew that meant I had to pray for someone to pass away, and I couldn’t do that,” she told the host.
But when she received the call that she could finally receive her double-lung transplant, she burst into tears!
“I was born with lungs already damaged,” she said. “I don’t feel I could ever remember a time I could take a deep breath… When they took that tube out and I took that deep breath, I just remember breathing in and letting it out and just going, ‘Thank you.’ It was unreal.”
Jennifer’s donor was Jill Ellis, a beloved daughter, sister, wife, and mother of four who had died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. Six months after surgery, she received a holiday card from Jill’s family in Wisconsin saying they wanted to come to West Virginia to meet her.
That’s when Jennifer met Jill’s brother, Travis, and they instantly formed a friendship. The two eventually fell in love and got married in September 2024. Aww!
Not only did Jill extend Jennifer’s life and help her brother find true love — the donation of her organs also helped save the lives of five other people!
Signing up to become an organ donor is an amazing act that can help another person (or people!) live their life to its fullest. If you’re interested in learning about organ donation and how you can sign up to be a donor, head to organdonor.gov.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” airs weekdays. Here’s when to watch in your area.
