Programs / Meet Our Mentors
The Transplant Mentors program launched in 2009 and is now offered to transplant hospitals across the country. Our volunteer mentors have first-hand experience and are available to help transplant patients, care partners, and living donors. While they don’t give medical advice, they can help with tracking questions during medical visits, understanding terminology, the importance of compliance pre- and post-transplant, and more, including sharing how they navigated life before and after their or their loved one’s transplant or living donation.
Kirsten Finn
Kirsten Finn, MBA (Healthcare), BNAT, BA, serves as Director of Gift of Life’s Transplant Mentor Program, bringing a unique blend of clinical, regulatory, and lived-experience expertise to her leadership. A former healthcare operations and family-support leader at a major children’s hospital, she has extensive experience in trauma-informed systems, cross-departmental collaboration, and supporting families through complex medical journeys. Her service includes roles on the Kansas Newborn Screening Advisory Council, multiple Patient and Family Advisory and Quality Improvement committees, and advocacy before state and federal agencies to advance equitable access to life-saving treatments. Kirsten is also the parent of a stem cell transplant survivor, giving her a deep personal understanding of the challenges transplant families face. She is dedicated to strengthening peer mentorship and ensuring donor and transplant families feel informed, supported, and empowered throughout their journey.
Ali Shappell
Living Kidney Donor
In 2019, Ali donated one of her kidneys to a stranger as part of a chain donation that would also benefit her childhood pastor. “When I donated, I couldn’t find anyone with the answers I was searching for. Making an organ donation is such an enormous decision, and without the proper information it can be misguided. I wish that someone would have been there for me who had already gone through the process to help walk me through the experience.”
Ali continues to be of service to others as an ICU nurse at Research Medical Center. She enjoys traveling and spending time with friends in Kansas City.
Amber Pettis
Kidney Recipient
Amber received her kidney transplant from KU Medical center in 2015 after being on dialysis for almost two years. Amber lives in Nashville, TN and has a passion for mentoring and sharing her story.
“I love mentoring. It allows me to play a role in my mentee’s journey of success through transplantation. One thing I learned in my own journey was that peer support was imperative. It’s important to me that I use my experiences – both pleasant and unpleasant – to ensure that the path to transplantation and the recovery from transplantation becomes easier and easier with every patient coming behind me.”
Andy McKinnon
Lung Recipient
Andy McKinnon received his lung transplant at Emory University in 2012 and has enjoyed overall good health since that time. He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he enjoys spending time with friends and engaging in volunteer work.
“Mentoring been a great way to help others, as I can correctly answer most of their questions and concerns because of my own experience. It’s also payback for for the medical success I have had being a 10-year survivor. It’s a great feeling to be there for others as they begin the journey for a surgery that can initially be quite scary psychologically. I do my best to alleviate their fears.”
Andy has served as a Transplant Mentor for nearly nine years.
Autumn Horton
Care Partner
Autumn Horton is the consummate caregiver. She cared for both her mother and her brother when they received liver transplants – within five years of one another.
“I just want to carry on a legacy for my mom to try and help as many caregivers as I can by just being there for them, sharing my story and helping them to walk through theirs. It is an amazing feeling, and I’m so glad to have been chosen to help with this piece of a person’s transplant experience.”
Brian Gorzney
Liver and Kidney Recipient
Brian received simultaneous liver and kidney transplants at Iowa Medical Center in 2020 after nearly a year on dialysis. He volunteers to mentor to be a part of a support group for those facing transplant.
“The changes individuals go through after receiving transplant can be overwhelming at times. If I can be there to assist in any way,” it would be a successful mentorship experience.
Brian lives in the Kansas City area with his fiancé, and they enjoy spending time with family, being active outdoors, and watching sports.
Brian Pitts
Heart Recipient
Brian Pitts received his heart transplant in 2022 at the age of 49 after suffering from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Heart Failure. He explained that while in the hospital recovering from his transplant, he had the opportunity to share his story and provide encouragement to another person waiting for a transplant.
This interaction started a passion for being a Transplant Mentor! He especially enjoys meeting with people that are hospitalized while waiting, because he has a very personal understanding for how challenging that can be.
Corbin Bradford
Kidney and Pancreas Recipient
Corbin received a kidney and pancreas transplant in February of 2022 after suffering from diabetes that led to kidney failure. Corbin was on dialysis for six months before he received the call for a transplant at University of Kansas Medical Center.
Corbin enjoys mentoring because it gives him an opportunity to share his story and to answer questions for those facing transplant. “I did not have anyone to ask questions of prior to the transplant and hope to give some information to others. I also see it as a way to help pay back my donor and their loved ones.”
Corbin lives in Kansas City and is enjoying his improved health while working full-time and spending time with family and friends.
Curtisha Anderson
Kidney Recipient
Curtisha received a kidney transplant after being on dialysis for a year and a half. She volunteered to be a mentor because of her passion for supporting other patients that are on a transplant journey.
“Navigating the process to receive a transplant can be stressful. Having someone to talk to that has been through a similar experience can be very rewarding, not just for the mentee, but also for the mentor. It is a great way to give back what was given to me when I was on my journey to receive my transplanted kidney.”
Curtisha works full-time as a school bus driver and has also started her own non-profit to assist those suffering from lupus, the cause of her kidney failure.
Dan Jutting
Kidney Recipient
Dan was suffering from Polycystic Kidney Disease, a painful genetic condition, when he received a kidney transplant in 2016. He reported feeling physically improved immediately after his transplant.
“I mentor to help people better understand what to expect before, during, and after a transplant and to answer any questions, they may have. I understand a lot of information is given when starting the process, and when a thought or question comes up, you want an answer immediately. That’s why I want to be there; to answer questions and give insight from having gone through a similar experience.”
Dan works full-time and enjoys spending time with his wife and children, while rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs from his home in Iowa.
Jon Sink
Living Kidney Donor
“I chose to be a living donor mentor so I could share my unique experience with other soon-to-be living donors. I donated my kidney altruistically in 2018 to someone I did not know. My living donor journey is probably the most life-rewarding thing I will ever experience. Giving up a major organ is a BIG deal, and it can be scary for the donor and for the donor’s family.
My doctor explained to me that I was the only person in the hospital who didn’t NEED the surgery they were receiving. But I had confidence in the whole transplant team before, during, and after the surgery. Obviously, I can’t do it again, but what I can do is mentor others who want to experience the life-changing gift of organ donation. It’s a beautiful thing!”
Julie Arenson
Two-Time Kidney Recipient
Julie received her second kidney transplant in 2019 after being on dialysis for six months. She has been dealing with kidney disease since she was just 14 years old when she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that attacked her kidneys.
“I’ve experienced the challenging journey of kidney disease; kidney transplantation 35 years after being diagnosed with kidney disease, waiting for a donor, endless testing, constant requests for blood work and the list goes on and on and on. However, I try not to let the daunting challenges of kidney disease define my life. I’ve been a classroom teacher, worked in the corporate world for 25 years, and now enjoy retirement. I feel a positive and healthy lifestyle, support from family and friends, as well as my Transplant Team have carried me through the challenges of kidney disease. I look forward to working with others going through the transplant journey.”
Karen Martin
Liver Recipient
Karen received a liver transplant in 2020 after being hospitalized 11 times in 15 months.
“The liver transplant journey is complicated and often frightening. It is also wonderful. Mentors can provide support and encouragement to those who are going through what they have gone through.”
Karen strives to encourage others and to share her experience. “It is my hope that having survived the pain, the anxiety, the questioning, the uncertainty, the failures, and the successes that were part of my liver transplant process, I can be there for someone else. I would like to think a mentee and I can make a positive difference in each other’s lives.”
Ken Wyatt
Lung Recipient
Ken received his lung transplant at NZTI in January of 2019 at the age of 79.
Ken explained that he enjoys serving as a Transplant Mentor, “because I had questions, and doctors didn’t give good answers” about what to expect after surgery or his transplant. He has a passion for being a resource to others facing lung transplant.
Ken volunteers in his local American Legion as Post Commander & State Scouting Chairman and is Emergency Response Coordinator for Oklahoma City Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns, which organizes volunteers to help in emergency situations such as tornado or floods. He is also active member of the National Society Sons of the American Revolution.
Ken is an engineer by trade and is retired from AT&T. He lives with his wife in Oklahoma City and remains very active. He proudly enjoys maintaining his lawn and pool himself.
Kimberly Becker
Living Kidney Donor
Kimberly donated one of her kidneys to a member of her church in 2021 after seeing a Facebook post looking for a donor.
“It was an amazing experience, yet I wish I would have had someone to ask questions to that had been a donor before me. My medical team was amazing, but someone who has been there just has a different perspective.”
Karen continues to lead a full and healthy life, working full time, enjoying motorcycle rides, working out, and being an active member of her church.
Lynn Bailey
Liver and Kidney Recipient
Lynn received her liver and kidney transplant in 2013 at Emory University.
When asked what drives her to mentor she explained, “I enjoy talking to people, sharing my story, and helping others that are going through the process.”
Lynn is retired and living in Georgia and enjoys travel, volunteering, and camping with her family.
Transplant Mentors Program
Connect with a Mentor
To connect with a Transplant Mentor, contact Kirsten Finn or fill out this brief form.
Interested in Becoming a Mentor?
Please Apply Here
Kirsten Finn, MBA (Healthcare, BNAT, MBA)
Program Director, Transplant Mentors
Email Kirsten
913-951-4524
