In this milestone Episode 100, BJ welcomes Mike Duncan from Bloomington, Indiana, whose life-saving liver transplant journey is a powerful reminder of the life-changing impact of organ donation.

Mike’s story began in 2016 when subtle symptoms during a trip to Florida — dark urine, yellowing eyes, and swelling — revealed something much more serious. His liver was failing.

What followed was a frightening medical journey that included hospitalization, severe complications from liver failure, and the emotional challenge of waiting for a donor organ.

While on the transplant list, Mike experienced the harsh realities of liver disease, including high ammonia levels that caused confusion and hallucinations. Through it all, his partner Jeff, along with family and friends, rallied around him with encouragement and support.

After a heartbreaking false alarm when a donor liver was found but ultimately deemed unusable, Mike’s health continued to decline. Just weeks later, the call came again — and this time the transplant moved forward.

Following surgery, Mike faced rejection, extreme weakness from months in the hospital, and an intense rehabilitation process. At one point he believed he might spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

But determination, medical care, and the love of those around him helped him fight back.

Today, Mike Duncan is thriving, working out daily and living life to the fullest thanks to the incredible gift of organ donation.

His story is one of resilience, hope, and the power of never giving up.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: giftoflifepodcast@gmail.com

Website: www.giftoflifepodcast.com

Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

Listen & Share: https://lnk.to/GiftofLife

BJ Odom’s book

More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget

Grab your copy today: https://a.co/d/gNgC9jO

Available in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platforms.

Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings. Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

On this show, we always start at the beginning — because every transplant story is different.

For this husband of 22 years, father of three, and lifelong pastor from Charlotte, his story actually began at six weeks old. Doctors suspected hepatitis after he struggled to gain weight and keep food down. After exploratory surgery, life returned to normal — or so it seemed.

In his mid-20s, a routine scan for a kidney stone revealed something shocking: signs of cirrhosis. He had never touched alcohol. Doctors told him it was mild and would need attention “someday.” So he lived life — raising his family, working in ministry, even spending several years in Seattle — without major symptoms for nearly 20 years.

Then in the summer of 2025, everything changed fast.

He developed severe fluid retention, confusion, and memory distortion. At one ER visit, he couldn’t answer how many quarters are in $1.50. He was diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy, a dangerous buildup of toxins affecting the brain. After multiple hospitalizations and a frightening episode where he became unresponsive at home, he was sent for transplant evaluation at Duke University Hospital.

During evaluation, doctors discovered a liver tumor (HCC), accelerating the need for transplant. He was listed — and received “the call” in less than three days.

His transplant took place September 24. He was discharged October 1 and returned home October 15 after a strong recovery.

Today, nearly five months post-transplant, his labs look excellent and he’s had no major medication complications.

In this episode, he shares:

• Living decades with silent liver disease

• The terrifying reality of hepatic encephalopathy

• Getting a transplant call almost immediately after listing

• The fears surrounding surgery and medication side effects

• Gratitude for a second chance at life

Every transplant story is different. This one is a powerful reminder that liver disease isn’t always alcohol-related — and that sometimes life can change in a matter of days.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: giftoflifepodcast@gmail.com

Website: www.giftoflifepodcast.com

Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

Listen & Share: https://lnk.to/GiftofLife

BJ Odom’s book

More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget

Grab your copy today: https://a.co/d/gNgC9jO

Available in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platforms.

Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings. Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

Some inspire.

And some ask us to lean in and truly listen.

This is one of those episodes.

In Episode 98, we introduce you to Shawn Kortes — a husband, a father, and a man courageously fighting for more time.

Shawn is in need of an O positive kidney transplant.

His story is real. It’s raw. And it’s unfolding right now.

He shares openly about:

• Living with kidney failure

• The emotional weight of waiting

• What it feels like to depend on the generosity of a living donor

• His hope for more birthdays, more holidays, more everyday moments with his family

This conversation isn’t just about medicine.

It’s about time.

It’s about love.

It’s about the power of one person saying yes.

If you’ve ever wondered what it truly means to wait for a life-saving organ, this episode gives you a front-row seat to that reality.

And if you’ve ever considered becoming a living donor — this may be the story that moves you to take the next step.

Shawn's links to help: https://nkr.org/RJV252

Listen now.

Share widely.

You never know who might be the miracle someone is praying for.

Email: giftoflifepodcast@gmail.com

Website: www.giftoflifepodcast.com

Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

Listen & Share: https://lnk.to/GiftofLife

More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget

Grab your copy today: https://a.co/d/gNgC9jO

Available in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platforms.

Share this episode with family and friends.

Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.