I wrote a letter to 6 stranger in September 2019. I didn't know if anyone would ever read it.
Four months after my son Mikey's accident, I sat down to write to the people who received the gift of organ donation. I had no idea who they were. I just knew I needed them to know who he was, my gratitude for their courage, and welcome them into my family.
Eleven months later, a message arrived. The man who received Mikey's double lung transplant, Harold is thriving today, two thousand miles away.
I still think about the many families, sitting with a blank sheet of paper, and love with no place to go. Finding the words for what feels like the deepest gratitude one can feel while feeling the cost to the donor family.
I'm creating a safe a supported space to help with exactly that. Whether it's supporting the families directly, advising the 'Aftercare Department' at our OPO's nationwide, or simply guiding families through the uncertain currants of grief.
If this is something you or your program needs, or you're a family holding a letter you haven't sent yet, I'd love to be with you.💞
Courtney B Kaplan - Hope Happens Here
Author, speaker, organ donation advocate, and healthcare professional sharing honest stories rooted in lived experience. Hope Happens Here.
Creator of Transplant Hope: The Healing Journey and Women Rising. I am a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, organ donation advocate, and the creator of the Transplant Hope Method — the Healing Journey, a heart-centered approach to education, advocacy, and connection for individuals and families navigating organ donation and legacy. My work is rooted in lived experience, compassion, and cl
08/13/2026
🌟 Ignite Your Positive Vibe: Embrace the Energy!
Hello, beautiful souls! 🔮 I’m here to share a sprinkle of love and wisdom to help you radiate positivity and embrace the joy of life. Ready to turn up the good vibes? Here are three heartfelt tips just for you:
1. Gratitude Gaze: Each morning, pause and reflect on three things you’re grateful for. This simple act can shift your mindset and fill your heart with warmth. 🌞
2. Mindful Moments: Throughout your day, take mini-breaks to breathe deeply and center yourself. Even a few minutes can lift your spirit and bring peace to your mind. 🧘♀️
3. Joyful Connection: Reach out to someone you love with a kind word or gesture. Love shared is love amplified, and your positivity will ripple out to touch others. 💌
Let’s embark on this journey together! Share your experiences and uplift others with your newfound positivity.
🌻 Share this post with someone who needs a little extra sunshine today!
08/12/2026
Today is the day! 🦋
At noon, I’ll be speaking at a GHA Sponsored Event;
Mental Wellness Matters and sharing a deeply personal message entitled, “Where Did You Go?”
Mental illness does not affect one person.
It changes entire families.
We grieve, question ourselves, search for answers, and often carry the whole experience quietly because we are afraid of what people may think.
Today, I’m speaking from inside that truth.
Not as someone with all the answers,
but as a mother who knows what it feels like to love someone fiercely while trying to find them beneath the illness.
If you have ever asked, “Where did the person I love go?”
I hope you’ll join me. You are not alone. 💕
Wednesday, August 12
12:00 to 2:00 PM
Loaded Empanadas
750 N. Rampart Blvd. #15, Las Vegas
Admission is free. Food is available for purchase.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-wellness-matters-tickets-1981605687956
08/11/2026
Some days I wear a wig.
Some days I don’t.
Sometimes I’m blonde, brunette, or auburn.
Short, long, glamorous, casual, bald, bold, or somewhere in between. 💁🏻♀️✨
Since 2018, I have been managing complete and total hair loss. Let me tell you..was that a hit to my self-esteem and self-worth. My hair was a huge part of my identity, my confidence, and my attractiveness. I didn't think much of myself anyway, but at least I had great hair..
sound familiar to anyone?
I felt like Uncle Fester 🤥
Well, what happens when it all goes away? What's left is the gapping hole in your wholeness.
The good news is..
that hole in my 'wholeness' is being slowly healed by replacing the lies with the truths.
My reality is created by my perceptions. My perceptions are built on whats observed. Whats observed is created by the stories I tell myself. Those meanings are mine to write and therefore, I can flip the script. So can you!
There is only YOUR way.
How you show up belongs to you.
Change your hair.
Change your mind.
Take up space.
Be seen.
08/10/2026
Five children, extreme stress, anxiety, and a lifetime of always having to DO eventually took a toll on my body and my soul. And let’s be honest, there were times, okay MOST times, when catching my reflection could put a wrench in my entire mood. 😬
Turning 51 came with a few unexpected “chapter notes.” I realized I had spent years holding space for everyone else’s comfort while shrinking myself. I had played a charact-HER for so long that I wasn’t sure who I was without all the roles. Food, distraction, and binge-watching 'Love Is Blind' provided temporary comfort, but they weren’t working for the woman emerging. Apparently watching other people make questionable decisions through a wall wasn’t going to solve mine. 😂
Well, here I am! I can sit with my own thoughts and a little stillness without wanting to puke. Progress! 🙌
Have you experienced this kind of “ego death,” when the version of you built for survival stops fitting the woman you’re becoming?
08/09/2026
Somewhere beneath all the noise, your own voice is still there. 🌿
This photo was taken in Moldova. Life felt simpler there. More grounded. More connected to nature and the people around me. My nervous system softened, and my soul finally had enough space to remember who SHE was.
Whenever you have the opportunity to rise above the noise, take it. In the quiet, you may hear more than you ever imagined.
Where do you go when you need to come back to yourself? 🌱
08/08/2026
Some people collect throw pillows. Gabby collects cats. 😂🐈🐈
No agenda. No lesson. Just one happy girl, two very committed cuddle supervisors, and proof that some of life’s best moments never made it onto the calendar.
Show me your favorite cuddle buddy! Bonus points if they regularly steal your seat, your blanket, or your last nerve. 😆
Getting on camera alone can turn me into a woman who suddenly forgets every word she has ever known. 😳
My brain starts immediately: What do I say? Who am I to put myself out there? Maybe I’ll do it tomorrow…
Then my granddaughter joins me, and everything changes. I stop trying to perform and start playing. I laugh. I loosen up. I remember myself.
Maybe the fear isn’t only being seen. Maybe it’s giving ourselves permission to feel alive again. 💕
What brings out the playful, unfiltered version of you?
05/16/2026
Today’s the day.
Everything is set. The books are ready.
And my heart is full knowing I get to meet so many of you in person today.
If you’re looking for something meaningful to do…
If you’ve been needing connection, inspiration, or just a moment to pause…
This is your invitation.
No pressure. No expectations.
Just come as you are.
📍 Happening TODAY
Free Book Signing for Mikey and His Mighty Heart
Stop by, say hello, and be part of something that truly matters.
05/13/2026
The messages I receive about this book mean everything.
People tell me it brought them comfort.
Perspective. Even healing.
💥Come experience it in person on May 16th.
Free book signing – all are welcome.
That’s why I keep showing up and sharing.
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
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