After his transplant, East Texan Junior Jacquez is able to enjoy more time with family. (Contributed Photo)

It’s easy to assume the health conditions that affect our parents or grandparents won’t affect us — until they do.

My diagnosis came in 2016 when my doctors told me that I had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that causes a buildup of extra fat in liver cells. My condition eventually progressed to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH – the same liver disease that impacted my mother and took my uncle’s life.

By August 2023, my liver was giving out, and I couldn’t eat, sleep or walk. I was in and out of the hospital, driving from East Texas to Dallas regularly. My doctor told me that I had four months left to live unless I received an organ transplant. On month three, I received the lifesaving news my family and I had been praying for: I was going to get a liver transplant.

More than 70% of the 10,000 Texans waiting for a lifesaving transplant are from multicultural communities (Source: Southwest Transplant Alliance), yet data shows these same communities are less likely to register as donors. As both the son of Hispanic immigrants and a grateful organ recipient, this hits home for me. I want to inspire my community to come together to save lives just like mine.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is unfortunately common in the Hispanic community due to genetic predisposition. I was part of the one in four Hispanic people affected by NAFLD in the U.S. (Source: National Library of Medicine), but thanks to the generosity of a 23-year-old donor hero, I received a second chance at life. When I was sick, everyday activities felt impossible. After my transplant, my life is full of little moments I wouldn’t trade for the world: running 5Ks, spending time with my family and watching my sons grow up. Less than one year after receiving my transplant, I’m healthier than ever, and it’s all thanks to someone’s decision to be a donor.

Since receiving a second chance at life, so many of my family members, friends and colleagues have realized the importance of proactively caring for their health and considering their decision to be an organ donor. The power of donation is incredible: just one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and improve up to 75 lives through tissue donation, but the waitlist needs all of us, together.

I invite you to learn more about the donation process, find helpful tools to talk to your family (in English and Spanish) and sign up to be a donor at www.organ.org/together.