(upbeat music) Hi everyone, Steve Abubato.

We kick off the program with an on location as opposed to in the studio interview that I did with Debbie Prince.

This was at the New Jersey Sharing Network Annual 5K.

Their 15th anniversary was over in New Providence.

I did it with my colleague Jacqui Tricarico, and I spoke to Debbie Prince, who's vice chair, New Jersey Sharing Network, and also the mother of a heart transplant recipient, her son, Sam Prince.

An incredible story about Sam and receiving the gift of life, a celebration of life, a conversation with Debbie Prince.

Let's check it out.

(inspiring music) (inspiring music continues) - We are here at the 5K, the New Jersey Sharing Network 5K, with a good friend, Debbie Prince, who is the vice chair of the Sharing Network Foundation and the mom of Sam Prince.

- I am.

- For those who haven't seen past interviews, tell everyone who Sam is and why Sam is so special.

- Well, Sam is special, 'cause he's my son, and Sam is also special, because he received the gift of life, a heart transplant, 14 years ago.

- He was eight.

- He was eight.

And I believe you interviewed him when he was eight years old.

- Absolutely.

- Yes.

- Eight years old, could you go back those 14 years?

That time when Sam was struggling, he was born with?

- So Sam was born with many congenital heart and lung defects.

- [Steve] Right.

- I won't list them all, I'll take up all your tape.

But he was, really, very quite sick when he was born.

He thrived for seven years, he had two open heart surgeries, many cardiac catheterizations, therapies, medicines, hospitalizations.

Then, when he was about 7 1/2 years old, he really started to decline.

And we made the painful decision to list him for transplant.

And he waited about six months, and then his life changed forever, ours too.

- Describe for folks, I mean, you know, any mom, any dad, any parent right now who's trying to imagine what you're saying right now and what Sam was going through.

How did it change his life?

- Well, before his transplant, he was not a regular kid.

He didn't go to school full day, he maybe went once a week.

He couldn't go to a birthday party, he couldn't walk up the stairs, he couldn't play on the playground.

And all that changed.

He had the heart transplant, he went back to school, he went to birthday parties, he played on a basketball team, and he walked up the stairs in our house without turning blue.

- [Steve] What was it like for you?

- Overwhelming, grateful.

We had our family back together again.

- Let me ask you this, you've been involved in this organization, with this 5K for a while now.

Describe for folks who get to see it on the air, but are not here.

I mean, it's early in the morning, there'll be thousands of people here at the 15th anniversary of the 5K, the Sharing Network 5K.

What's the mood, what's the feeling here?

- This is an incredible day.

We call it a Celebration of Life for a reason, because it really is celebrating life.

This is our 14th year coming to the Sharing Network 5K.

Our team is called Max's Mitzvah Movers.

- Hold on, Max's?

- [Debbie] Mitzvah Movers, and I'll tell you a little bit about that.

- [Steve] Go ahead.

- A year after Sam had his transplant, my older son, Max, was having his bar mitzvah.

And for his bar mitzvah, you do what is called a mitzvah project, and it's a good deed.

And he wanted to raise money for the Sharing Network, which he did, and he organized a team for his brother, 'cause he was just so happy that he was doing well.

And the first year that we came here, it was just so overwhelming, because you see so many families.

You see families of recipients, you see families that are waiting for transplant, and you see families that have donated their loved ones' organs.

And those families are so grateful for what those loved ones did.

And that really, really resonated with us.

And they wanna see people who have received the gift of life thrive and do well, because they know that their loved ones' organs or tissue is giving a life to somebody.

And for them to see a little boy at eight years old- - Wow.

- Running, it's really gratifying.

My favorite part is seeing everybody's t-shirts, and reading the t-shirts and reading the stories.

And it's great to see the families come year after year to celebrate life, whether it's theirs or their loved ones.

- Tell us about Sam today.

- He's 20?

- He's 22.

- 22.

- He's 22.

- How's he doing?

- He's fantastic.

He is a junior in college, he is studying sports broadcasting, communications, and journalism.

- Good for him.

- Maybe he'll take your job one day.

- Yeah, well, we need better broadcasters.

- So he's great, he is a strong advocate for organ tissue donation.

Not a crowd that he doesn't turn down to speak to and tell his story.

- By the way, I remember meeting him, and he struck me as strong, outgoing, confident.

That's who he is.

- That's who he is.

That's who he is and that's who he is always been.

- You're involved in scholarships.

For whom and why?

- I am the chair of the scholarship committee here at the New Jersey Sharing Network Foundation.

We give out two different types of scholarships.

One is our high school scholarships, and it is a way for us to recognize really amazing high school students that have a connection to organ and tissue advocacy.

So this is our, I think it’s our 12th year in doing this.

- College as well, or no?

- Yes, we do both.

So we do our high school scholarships, and over the past several years, we have given out $150,000 worth of scholarships to 70 some odd students.

- So hold on, when we put up the website right now, if dollars come in, people contribute, some of that money goes to scholarships.

- Our scholarships are funded by five family funds.

- [Steve] Oh really?

- So if you are part of Team Buck or Hearts for Emma, Missy's Miracle.

- Hold on one second, so the teams.

I'm wrong about that, so forget about that.

The teams contribute to the scholarship fund.

- Their family funds- - Okay.

- Established here at the Sharing Network, and they give some of their funds to high school students.

We also have a healthcare sciences scholarship, which was new last year.

And it is for students in college that are pursuing a degree in health sciences that have a connection to organ and tissue donation or are pursuing a field of healthcare that is going to then lead into organ tissue donation fields such as social work- - Sure.

- Nursing, respiratory therapy.

And that healthcare scholarship is really special, because it is funded by our employees here at the Sharing Network.

So they have such a strong love for working here that they want people or students to go into their field somehow.

So they fund that, and that's really special.

- The gift keeps giving.

People keep giving the gift, sharing at the Sharing Network.

Those who are going to college, scholarships for those getting engaged in a field of science connected to organ tissue donation.

Debbie, I wanna thank you once again for joining us, we appreciate it.

- Oh, my pleasure, Steve.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

The New Jersey Education Association.

Kean University.

PSEG Foundation.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

The North Ward Center.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

And by New Brunswick Development Corporation.

Promotional support provided by NJBIA.

And by NJBIZ.

- (Narrator) Public service.

It's what we do, at the PSEG Foundation Through volunteer hours, partnerships and our other contributions.

We're committed to empowering communities.

We work hand in hand with you, our neighbors, to educate young people, support research, environmental sustainability and equitable opportunities, provide training and other services all over New Jersey and Long Island.

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