A Twice-Told Tale of Hope

Alex and Shane Sorboro are like most young men. The twins from Strongsville attend community college, work part-time jobs and hang out with friends. But nearly a decade ago, both brothers experienced firsthand an ordeal that most teenagers only see on TV. They received heart transplants.

By age eight, Alex and Shane were diagnosed with Emery-Driefuss muscular dystrophy, a rare form of the muscle-weakening disease. "They told us there would be some heart problems somewhere down the road," remembers their mother Cindy. "But the doctors thought the worst case would probably be pacemakers in their late 20s."

However, a year later, Shane was hospitalized at the Cleveland Clinic with flu-like symptoms. Tests revealed he had heart failure and would need a transplant. "I remember saying to my husband, 'How are we going to tell this little boy he needs a transplant?'" recalls Cindy. "So we just told him it's like a car: Your engine is bad, so they're going to put in a new part."

Shane received a donor heart on March 15, 1998. "During his illness, Shane was so pale," says Cindy. "When we walked in the room after the transplant, the first thing we noticed were his rosy cheeks. He was a new person."

The day Shane was released from the hospital, Alex became symptomatic and underwent cardiac catheterization. His enlarged heart made him weak and nauseated. Alex underwent transplant surgery exactly four months after Shane on July 15, 1998.

Today, the twins are doing well. "The fact that they're here is amazing," says Cindy. "They've had very few complications after the surgeries. We've been blessed."

Interviewed shortly after his transplant, Alex said, "A boy gave me a second chance at life, and I'm going to try to help somebody else out." And he has. Alex and Shane have shared their stories with school groups and with other children waiting for heart transplants.

The soft-spoken twins applaud the efforts of Lifebanc. Their message to the world is simple. "Donate," says Alex. "It's a good thing to do. If you can't use the organs anymore, why not give them to someone else?"

You have the power to save lives by becoming a registered organ and tissue donor right now or by saying "yes" when renewing your driver license or state ID at the BMV.