Diana heard and felt a pop in her knee while testing for her 5th-degree black belt in Taekwondo. She later discovered it was much more than a sprain. Learn about Diana’s connection to donation and transplantation, and how it’s impacted her life and Taekwondo career.
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United States Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs, Colorado
He was a Cadet First Class at the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated on May 25, 2011, but he was not there to accept his diploma. On September 15, 2010, he ended his life. But he saved many more. He was an organ and tissue donor.
As Linda and Van Henning, the parents of Marc Henning and his brothers Eric and Alex, surrounded Marc’s bed the night of September 15, 2010 at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, they were unaware of the impact he would have on others, just hours later.
Waiting patiently alone was a young woman in the waiting room. Her name was Heather Hamilton and she was a Family Support Coordinator for Donor Alliance. She spoke to the family about organ and tissue donation. And it is she the Henning’s credit for Marc’s donation legacy. When Marc died on September 16, 2010, Linda and Van felt peace knowing the impact he would have, though he was no longer with them.
Cadet Henning was a senior at the Air Force Academy and also served as head manager of the Falcon football team. Marc carved out his own niche. He was active in Engineers Without Borders and reveled in the chance to be close to the action at football games. He was developing into a genuinely liked and respected leader.
He had a rural Midwestern upbringing, one of three boys. He was a loving and considerate son, a funloving brother to his twin, Eric and the biggest fan of his older brother Alex. He was a nephew, a grandson, a roommate and a friend to many. He was a humanitarian. He was handsome. He was generous. He was honest. He was good. And he saved numerous lives.
Upon finishing high school in Illinois, he landed a spot at the Academy Preparatory School and then to the Cadet Wing. He was often considered “a quiet young man, confident to stand up for what’s right, a model cadet.” Two of Marc’s classmates and fellow seniors elaborated that Marc “was always an example for others” and “lived the Air Force motto of service before self.”
In a packed chapel during Marc’s funeral at the Air Force Academy, Linda remarked to a room full of Marc’s peers and commanders, “As you know, Marc took his own life. We were concerned that he was overloading his plate and that he needed to recharge his batteries. Although Marc’s life was short, for him it was wide.”
Linda said that a trip her son took to Bolivia in 2009 was a turning point for him. While there, he helped villagers create a safe, functioning water system. He also spent a spring break helping build a home with Habitat for Humanity. Marc was a “gentle warrior.”
Now Marc was a warrior to those who received life from his gifts.
Marc’s lungs helped someone breathe easier in Arizona. His pancreas and left kidney strengthened the life of someone in Colorado. A person in Missouri is living healthier with Marc’s liver. His right kidney has increased the quality of life for a very grateful man in Virginia Beach. His skin has healed the wounds of burn victims and others in need of healing grafts. His bone has helped people with spinal injuries to walk again, without pain.
And Linda also received a gift.
On July 22, 2011, ten months after Marc’s death, she became the recipient of Marc’s bone. Due to a special recovery that would enable the bone to be preserved and saved for an inevitable dental procedure, Linda’s oral surgeon, Dr. Steven Rodgers and his staff in Newburgh, Indiana coordinated the bone graft for a tooth implant. Quinn Boland, a representative from NuVasive, a San Diego, California company specializing in innovative spinal surgery, hand delivered the special graft to Dr. Rodgers’ office for the implant procedure. During the grafting process, Linda’s husband Van held her hand as tears streamed down their cheeks. “Marc again became a part of me.”
Linda says that not only will she keep Marc’s spirit alive in her heart; a piece of him will always live on within her. “Life really does go full circle…and the donation of life is what keeps this circle spinning.”
The notorious and acute “pop” of the anterior cruciate ligament often signals a long and arduous road to recovery. Diana’s connection to AlloSource’s healing mission impacts her daily. Not only is she an operating processing technician at the company, but she is also the recipient of a donor graft.
In October of 2019, Diana was testing for her 5th-degree black belt. During a self-defense routine with her son, she heard and felt a “pop” in her knee as she pivot-twisted. There wasn’t much pain in the moment, so she chalked it up as a possible sprain.
“You know, there are days when I think to myself, ‘that was kind of stupid,’” Diana said, looking back on her decision to push through. As she continued her black belt trials, she experienced several painful slips in the joint. In the end, she earned her 5th-degree black belt but would not be able to practice for some time because that “pop” was later diagnosed as an ACL tear and would require surgery.
Leading up to her procedure, the doctor offered Diana two options: an autograft, sourced from her own patellar tendon, or an allograft, using tissue recovered from a donor. The surgeon recommended the donor graft due to fewer incision sites, which ultimately led to Diana opting for the allograft. The year following the procedure was filled with countless hours of physical therapy and a nine-month hiatus from martial arts.
Diana’s dedication and perseverance is finally paying off though, as she can now walk, run, and even continue practicing taekwondo without fear of further injury. “I know words don’t replace the loss, but I want the family to know that her gift gave me the ability to do my job again, as well return to the sport I love and to be able to compete at a high level again.”
Diana has been practicing taekwondo for 26 years now and is going to be competing in Houston, Texas on Saturday, March 19 to qualify for the 2022 International Taekwondo Federation World Championships in the Netherlands. If she qualifies, she will be representing the U.S. at the competition this summer. “When I first tore my ACL, I never believed that I would get back to where I’m at, and her selflessness gave me that opportunity! So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
