Edmonds resident Anna Eggink is one of the many inspiring stories LifeNet Health is sharing to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation in the Pacific Northwest. Anna suffered from chronic knee dislocation for more than 10 years and finally in 2015, both her knees gave out and she was unable to walk. Doctors were uncertain that surgery alone would solve her issue, but with a tissue donation she would able to get back on her feet.
Many people are unaware how life-saving bone and tissue donations can be. Even smaller donations like skin, ligaments and other tissues can make a huge impact on people’s lives, like Anna’s.
LifeNet Health in the Pacific Northwest provided the allographs for each of Anna’s surgeries at the UW Medical Center. Not only is Anna going to be able to dance at her wedding in June, she will be able to live as a new bride without the fear of her knees giving out.
Read more of Anna’s personal story in a commentary piece that she authored at MyEdmondsNews.com.
* LifeNet Health is the only full-service tissue bank in the Pacific Northwest that recovers, prepares and distributes tissue for transplantation, medical research and education. The organization distributes more than 500,000 allografts and implants each year, including 40,000 in the Pacific Northwest.