Seventeen year-old Ryan Clark is like most teenagers. He likes to play video games, go fishing and dreams of the day he will cruise around town in his own Ford Mustang. But that day may never come. Ryan is one of 70,000 people awaiting an organ transplant that will save his life. He was born with cystic fibrosis, which slowly destroyed both of his lungs. The National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF) of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is helping Ryan and his family through this crisis. With an acute shortage of organ donors, the Clarks spend each day waiting for the phone call that will tell them a pair of lungs has become available for Ryan. In the midst of this struggle for survival, the Clarks are forced to deal with another harsh reality. They must raise $20,000 to cover the costs of Ryan's transplant not covered by health insurance. The Clarks turn to the National Transplant Assistance Fund for help. Since 1983, NTAF has helped people from all over the country raise a total of $16 million for organ transplants. Through an innovative program, NTAF trains families to organize fundraising campaigns that will pay for their lifesaving operations. In this episode of The Visionaries, we see how NTAF helps the Clarks develop a fundraising strategy. While raising tens of thousands of dollars seems like an insurmountable task, the Clarks can find inspiration in another NTAF-assisted family. Jamie Hadden of Grand Rapids, Michigan suffered from cystic fibrosis, and needed a double lung transplant. With NTAF's guidance, a family friend organized the Hadden's fundraising campaign, and raised more than $60,0000. The highlight of the program comes when we learn that Jamie has received her double lung transplant. It is a story filled with joys and frustrations, as the staff of NTAF helps families in their time of greatest need.
