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Jennifer Franks of Robeson Township initially was to undergo heart valve surgery, but that plan changed when it was determined her heart was beyond fixing. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\nFourteen years ago, Jennifer Franks started noticing palpitations in her chest.<\/p>\n
An active, 37-year-old mother of three children in elementary school at the time, she headed to her doctor to make sure everything was all right.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
She was diagnosed with heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart muscle disease that causes the heart chambers to thin and stretch, growing larger.<\/p>\n
Franks\u2019 heart function was so low that she qualified to have a defibrillator installed in her chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really just came out of nowhere,\u201d the Robeson Township woman said. \u201cIt was scary. Those first six months after being diagnosed I was afraid to take a walk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franks\u2019 condition left her wondering what her future would hold. Would she still be able to exercise, to keep up with her energetic kids? Would she be able to travel, to enjoy all of the activities she had came to love?<\/p>\n
Doctors treated Franks\u2019 heart failure with medication, and for more than a decade it worked well. It allowed her to return to the life she knew before her diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took about a year for me to accept it,\u201d she said. \u201cBut then, things got back pretty much to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Transplant territory\u2019<\/p>\n
But last year, that changed.<\/p>\n
Franks\u2019 original diagnosis was for damage to the left side of her heart. But over time, the over-stressed right side became damaged, too.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Franks of Robeson Township initially was to undergo heart valve surgery, but that plan changed when it was determined her heart was beyond fixing. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
She was on a cruise when she started retaining fluid in her legs. At first, she figured it might just be due to salty foods served on the ship.<\/p>\n
But when she got home, the swelling remained.<\/p>\n
She went to the hospital, where doctors said her heart function was down to about 15%.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember getting the phone call at work and I knew right away it was transplant territory,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Initially, the idea was to perform heart valve surgery, but that plan quickly had to be adjusted. She was at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania by herself \u2014 her visiting family had just headed home for the day \u2014 when she was told her heart was beyond fixing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hard to believe,\u201d she said of hearing the news. \u201cI was at (a football game at) Penn State four days before walking up stairs to get my seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was terrifying. I had had a great day visiting with family. It was just shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franks spent the next 29 days in the hospital, undergoing all sorts of tests to make sure she was a viable candidate for a transplant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to see that you\u2019re going to take care of your body,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Because Franks\u2019 blood type is AB, making her a universal recipient, she was able get to a donor heart quickly. Just under a month after learning she would need a transplant, she found herself prepping to received a new heart on a morning in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thankful my wait was\u00a0going to be over,\u201d she said. \u201cBut there was a huge sense of guilt, too. I\u2019m wishing for a heart, and that means someone has to die.\u201d<\/p>\n
The surgery went well, and Franks woke from the procedure with a new lease on life.<\/p>\n
It was a strange experience, she said, knowing that someone else\u2019s heart was beating in her chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could hear and feel it beat,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt was so much stronger than the one I had before. I wasn\u2019t used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franks\u2019 recovery went quickly. Within a week she walked for the first time with a walker and air provided through a mask. Only a few days later she was walking on her own.<\/p>\n
Now, just seven months after her transplant, the 51-year-old Franks\u2019 life looks a lot like it did before. She runs errands, she works out at the gym, she\u2019s begun to travel a bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to get back to normal as soon as possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"Seven](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777294812_703_REG-L-FranksHeartTransplant257_copy.jpg\")
Seven months after her heart transplant, Jennifer Franks’ life looks a lot like it did before. She runs errands, works out at the gym and has begun to travel. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
And every step of the way, she said, she thinks about the gift she was given by a stranger.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve written to their family, I told them I\u2019m sorry for their loss and expressed my gratitude,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I promised to take care of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis person is going to be with me as long as possible. I plan to travel the world, and they\u2019re coming with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
An invaluable gift<\/p>\n
Franks shared her story with the Reading Eagle to help recognize National Donate Life Month, which is dedicated to highlighting the power of organ donation and the importance of educating the public about donating.<\/p>\n
Her experience, she said, shows the impact that becoming an organ donor can have.<\/p>\n
\u201cChecking that box on your driver\u2019s license can literally save someone\u2019s life,\u201d she said. \u201cIt really does, in fact the data shows it saves eight lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
And lifesaving gifts are needed by thousands of people across the country.<\/p>\n
Kendall Bunch, media relations coordinator for Gift of Life Donor Program, said there are 100,000 people around the U.S. awaiting transplants. About 4,500 of those are in the greater-Philadelphia region that includes Berks County.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirteen people in the U.S. die each day waiting for an organ,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a critical issue right now, it\u2019s an urgent issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure that people get that second chance at life. We want to see a day where no one is on that wait list.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bunch said April serves as time to double down on efforts to spread the word about the importance of donation. That includes encouraging people who have decided to donate to let their loved ones know about their choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure that you share your wishes with your family if your are listed as a donor,\u201d she said. \u201cYou want to have them equipped with the right information.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Gift](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/REG-L-OrganDonation-03.jpg\")
Gift of Life is the organ procurement organization the works with Reading Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people just don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t know what to expect or how it works. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here, that\u2019s why we\u2019re sharing these stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bunch also said Gift of Life strives to make sure people get true information about donation.<\/p>\n
Bunch said a common misconception about donation, one that prevents many people from signing up, is that if a patient is listed as an organ donor doctors won\u2019t work as hard to save their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s couldn\u2019t be further from the truth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bunch explained that the medical team working to treat a patient is completely separate from the Gift of Life team. The hospital team\u2019s number one job is to treat the patient, and often aren\u2019t even aware of their donor status.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only after someone is declared brain dead that the hospital team calls us and we start looking into the donation process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It is important that people have their questions about donation answered, and their fear allayed, Bunch said, because the act of giving is one of the most impactful things a person can do.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrgan donation is really a selfless decision, and it saves lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n