Nicole Platt

"The best part of my job is being the person who gets to make 'The Call' to patients on the transplant list to tell them we found a possible match — the organ they have been waiting for — some for months, others for years.

I've had all types of reactions over the 15 years I've been doing this job. Some people are understandably nervous, others start to cry tears of joy, and sometimes I hear cheering in the background. Everyone reacts a little differently, and I do my best to support them.

When an organ is available that might be a match for one of our patients, it's my job to handle all the logistics and coordinate the transplant. That includes contacting the patient, collecting all the clinical information for the surgeons, and scheduling the Operating Room. I'm part of a team of five people who make this happen 24/7, no matter what else is happening in the world around us.

One of the most memorable situations involved a patient I called during Hurricane Sandy who struggled to get to the hospital because all the main roads out of his neighborhood were blocked by downed trees. Luckily the patient was eventually able to get through.

I've worked in transplant since I graduated from college. It's all I've ever done. I may be known to patients only by my voice — I don't meet many face-to-face — but I handle some of the most important details of their gift of life. I may not be one of their doctors or nurses, but I still consider them to be 'my' patients."