When Senah Andrews thinks about organ and tissue donation, she reflects on a life changed in ways she never expected. Raised in a medical family, Senah knew from a young age that she would be an organ donor. “Be sure it’s on your license,” her parents told her when she went to get her driver’s license—but she never imagined she’d be on the receiving end of that decision.
“I always imagined that if I ever was touched by this important issue, it would be on the other side of it,” she said.
For years, that was true. As a mental health professional working in hospitals and emergency rooms, Senah often supported families facing the emotional process of donation. But everything changed after a freak accident at a big-box store.
It was supposed to be a normal day. Senah had recently recommitted to fitness, even snapping a photo after her CrossFit workout to show her sons she was back on track. But while shopping for deck boxes later that day, a towering stack of merchandise fell on her. She was rushed to the hospital, sore and bruised, but it was the scans and MRIs that revealed the real problem.
Ten years earlier, Senah had suffered a traumatic elbow injury from a fall down a flight of stairs. The long-term impact had gone undiagnosed: her radial head was dislodged, causing chronic pain and scarring. Now, faced with worsening damage and unrelenting discomfort, she needed extensive reconstructive surgery.
Her surgeon delivered sobering news. The surgery would require donor tissue—ligaments, tendons, and filler material—to rebuild what was lost. It was what they called a “salvage surgery,” an attempt to restore any function at all, not a promise of full recovery.
“I signed the waiver without hesitation,” Senah recalled. “I didn’t care where it came from. I wanted to get better.”
The operation was a success. Thanks to the gift of donated tissue, Senah has a functioning elbow, and a life filled with purpose and physical activity. But the road to healing required patience, determination, and following her doctor’s orders, including no lifting over five pounds for an entire year.
That was especially tough on Senah, who had recently started a micro farm with her husband.
“We had goats, pigs, chickens, donkeys… animals that brought me so much joy,” she said. “I made a promise to my husband that I would be the one to take care of them. The idea that I might not be able to was devastating.”
But she followed the rules, and one year later, her surgeon delivered the best news imaginable. Her elbow had healed better than anyone expected.
“This does go down in history as the only time I actually followed all the rules and it paid off,” said Senah, laughing. “I knew that this was the only option for me. If it didn’t work, the only choice was to fuse my elbow, and I would basically have a choice of what angle. None of them believed that this was going to turn out as well as it did, including the doctor. I could go back to the gym. I could work on the farm. I couldn’t believe it. I was very excited, and I called everybody I know.”
After a few months, she returned to the gym, worked with a personal trainer, and started to reclaim her strength.
“I think when we talk about organ donation, we think about lifesaving in a literal sense,” said Senah. “But there’s also quality of life. There’s living your best life. There’s being able to do things that bring you joy. There’s being able to share your experience with others so you can be an example of someone going through hard things—and with the collective help of other people on this planet, I am able to live my best life. I lost 60 lbs. I’m back in the gym and I can lift a lot more than a cell phone now. If I had my donor sitting here today, I would say that their selfless gift gave me my life back. It’s such a tremendous gift, and I just want to tell everyone about it and encourage everyone to be a donor.”
Today, one of Senah’s “passion projects” is raising awareness about the importance of tissue donation. Sometimes, the smallest tissues can make the biggest difference.
“HonorBridge now has a free spokeswoman,” she said. “I will continue to tell everyone about my experience with donation and educate the community. Hopefully, that will help you in the work you’re doing—because you’re doing amazing work. I just want to thank you all. If I could have my donor here, I would give them a big, big hug, from the bottom of my heart. But instead, I’ll give it to you.”
Did you know? 75 or more lives can be saved and healed by ONE organ, eye, and tissue donor. Sign up as a donor today!
