The Bunny That Beats On: Ziyan Liu’s Organ Donation Journey

Written by Ziyan Liu, Student Engagement Intern 2025

The Bunny

When I was younger, my mother told me I had a naughty little bunny living in me. 

Whenever I felt the funny, fluttery feeling in my chest, that was the bunny playing around, being naughty. That way, instead of feeling like I was broken, I could feel a sense of nurturing responsibility for the bunny inside me. 

All the doctor visits turned into check-ups on my bunny friend, the handful of medications turned into vitamins so she could grow big and strong, and the painful boom boom booms in my chest turned into thump thump thumps. I told my mother I couldn’t wait to meet my little bunny someday. 

Being born with a congenital heart defect that had no solutions forced me to view the world differently, even when I was a kid. 

My first open-heart surgery, a pulmonary artery banding procedure to reduce blood pressure, occurred when I was only a couple of months old. At five years old, my parents made the sacrifice to leave their work, friends, families, and the only life they knew to immigrate to the United States so that I could get the best medical treatment possible at Stanford Children’s Hospital. 

At nine years old, I was officially placed on the UNOS transplant list.

That day was also the first time I found out the truth about my heart conditions: Instead of a naughty little bunny, I had a broken heart, and it made me hate myself because of it.  

But when you’re already at rock bottom, the only choice you have is to keep thumping on, even when your limbs are ready to give out and you feel as if there is no hope. 

My Advocacy Journey 

That ceaseless determination has carried me through some of the hardest times in my life. Today, the fight to conquer what once haunted me gives my life a purpose. 

Everyday items like peach yogurt—my first meal post-transplant—now embody hope, resilience, and the priceless love around me. Experiences I only could have dreamed of as a child, such as running barefoot on the beach and road tripping around the country with my closest friends, are now a part of my life and memories—constant reminders of how beautiful life not only can be, but is. 

The journey to not only accept but also embrace an unchangeable part of my past—namely my experiences as a transplant recipient—empowers me to be a strong advocate for the organ, eye, and tissue donation community. 

I spent so much of my childhood years pretending that I was “normal” and hiding the fact that I had a chronic health condition, and that remains my biggest regret to this day. I’m eternally grateful to SODA for giving me the tools to become an advocate and inspiring me to embrace myself. 

My journey with SODA started in 6th grade when I was interviewed by a local news network about my transplant experience alongside a fellow heart transplant recipient from my city. After a couple of conversations with her, I learned that she was the president and founder of the SODA chapter at my local high school. It was the first time I had heard about SODA and I was immediately drawn in by the fact that there was an entire community centered around advocating for donation. I told her that I couldn’t wait until I went to high school so that I could take part in the club. 

And take part I did. 

Although I entered high school during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was still able to attend virtual meetings and events. I loved the SODA community there and felt inspired after every meeting. But just being in the club was not enough: I wanted to take part in shaping the club, which was why I decided to apply for an officer position. 

By my sophomore year, I had become the VP of events, and by junior year, I was the president. One of the most impactful events I led through my chapter was establishing semesterly presentations, which commenced my junior year, at my school’s freshman health classes. Every semester, I talked to a classroom of 400 students about the importance of organ donation; together with the father of an organ donor, we shared stories from two sides of the same coin and educated many young minds. 

Donuts with Donors Organ Donation Registration Drive, SODA at Amador Valley High School, 2023.

Recently, I had the honor of becoming one of SODA’s scholarship recipients, which has further connected me to an amazing community of impactful organ donation advocates. I’ve also started a SODA chapter at my university campus, Johns Hopkins. 

To learn how you can start a SODA chapter on your campus or see if your campus already has a SODA chapter that you can become a part of, visit sodanational.org/students. 

In collaboration with our local organ procurement organization, Infinite Legacy, our chapter regularly participates in tabling events at local community centers to advocate for donation and educate the local Baltimore community. I have great hopes that my chapter will continue to grow in size and expand its reach in the coming years.   

Inspiration Thumps On

Ten-year-old me would never recognize the person I am now: someone willing to tell her story in hopes of inspiring another 5th grader to be proud of who they are, someone else to share their story, and yet another person to choose to donate life. 

Tabling at Johns Hopkins Hospital for National Rare Disease Day, SODA at Johns Hopkins University, 2025.

Being a part of the organ donation and transplantation community continues to inspire me each and every day. It has been an honor to serve as SODA’s Student Engagement Intern this year, through which I’ve learned so much about what goes on behind the scenes of SODA and the daily operations of OPOs. Seeing what so many students across the country do to promote tissue and organ donation daily warms my heart and reaffirms that what I do does make a difference—and what you do does, too.  

My name is Ziyan Liu, and on July 9th, 2017, I was gifted a second chance at life because of my organ donor. Today, I carry two legacies: That of my younger self—to heal all the hurt that she went through—and that of my donor—to achieve all the dreams that they were never able to achieve. 

Thank you, SODA, for all that you do to support student-led organ donation advocacy, and thank you, reader, for choosing to save lives. May the empathy you have never die, and the passion you have thump on forever.

Are you inspired by Ziyan's story? Learn more about how you can get involved by starting a SODA chapter or hosting a one-time advocacy event at sodanational.org/students.