Graham Rose is a pillar of his Ohio community. Most days he can be found serving as the head coach for his town’s youth wrestling program or as the assistant coach for the high school team. When he’s not mentoring athletes, he stays busy flying as a recreational pilot.
All that came to a halt when Graham tore his ACL while coaching. Suddenly he was facing knee surgery — with the option of using a portion of his own tendon or receiving tissue from a donor. Graham requested the gift of a tissue transplant because it would promote a faster healing process, enabling him to get back to coaching that much sooner.
It helped that he was already familiar with tissue donation. Graham had learned firsthand about the process a year and a half earlier after suddenly losing his father, who was a donor. “When my dad passed, it was one final thing he was able to do to help other people out,” Graham said.
The opportunity to honor his father’s decision helped him tremendously and was a silver lining in his grieving process.
Graham’s surgery was successful, and his recovery is progressing nicely. He hopes to return to coaching soon to help others work toward their competitive and personal goals.
He reached out to his donor’s family in the hopes that sharing his gratitude could help them during their time of bereavement. “I am thankful for your generosity,” Graham told them. “Your loved one will help me move forward with my life and I will be eternally grateful for it.”
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