NASCAR driver Joey Gase will be featuring a car with heart recipient Jayken Beal on the bumper at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Beal received a heart transplant at the hospital when he was 16 years old. The event aims to highlight the partnership between Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Donor Network of Arizona, emphasizing the importance of organ and tissue donation in saving lives. The appearance at the hospital will be followed by Gase racing his Donate Life AZ car with messages of hope and to encourage fans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors.
Beal was born with a rare heart condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and had a low chance of survival. He managed to live until the age of 16 before experiencing heart failure. After an unsuccessful first attempt at getting a suitable heart, Beal received a successful transplant. The photo of Beal on the car bumper serves as a reminder that organ transplantation is more than just a surgery – it provides a second chance at life. Other patients, hospital staff, and the public have been invited to leave their handprints or messages on the car ahead of the race.
Joey Gase, who lost his mother to a brain aneurysm, understands the importance of organ donation. His mother’s organs were able to save and improve the lives of 66 people. Gase hopes that by sharing his experience and featuring the Donate Life AZ car, more people will realize the significance of being organ, eye, and tissue donors, and ultimately register themselves.
