Indy teen spreads organ donation awareness ahead of Fourth of July

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — This Fourth of July weekend will mean freedom for a lot of people. But for one Indianapolis teenager, it’s freedom to live. She’s a heart transplant recipient and will help count down Sunday’s big fireworks show.

More than 100,000 people need an organ transplant right now. Lexi Fuchs was born with a heart defect. At 11 years old, she got a heart transplant.

At 18, Fuchs is living a typical teenage life enjoying friends and heading off to college. It’s a far cry from what she thought life could be like as a child with a heart defect.

“We always knew that I would end up needing a heart transplant. So surgeries I had leading up to that were just to prolong the inevitable,” she said.

At 11, her heart almost gave out. She’s one of the lucky ones. She only waited a month on the transplant list.

She’s using her story to raise awareness about organ donations.

“I was always super tired. Fireworks are at night. Typically I would fall asleep. And just enjoying a full day outside with my family was hard.”

An estimated 100,000 people will hear her voice over the airwaves ahead of the Fourth of July fireworks show in downtown Indianapolis. With 100,000 people still looking for organ donors, energy and life is a luxury she won’t take for granted.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to record the radio segment that we did to countdown for the fireworks. That is such a good outreach for the the Indiana Donor Network. Just to get the word out to so many people.”

She’s continuing work, spreading outreach in her high school. And shortly after her transplant, she wrote a song dedicated to the person responsible for her being here now.

“My life is completely different and I’m so, so grateful.”