A gift from the heart

Emily Warren, left, has been foregoing birthday presents since the age of 13 to donate to community groups and organizations she cares about. This year she donated to UF Health’s Pediatric Heart Transplant Program.

For Emily Warren, birthdays mean more than just the passing of another year — they also mark the opportunity to appreciate each year by giving back to her community and to organizations that have had an impact on her life. Every year since she turned 13, Warren has foregone personal presents and instead used her birthday as a way to collect gift cards or supplies for various groups. On July 10, the 20-year-old Jacksonville native delivered more than $400 in gift cards to social worker Kathryn Ward to help patients and families in the UF Health Pediatric Heart Transplant Program in Gainesville. After all, this program is close to her heart — she was airlifted to UF Health at birth in 1994 and also received a heart transplant at the hospital three years ago. “They make me feel safe,” Warren said of the physicians, nurses and staff members, whom she has known for years. “They’re like my family.” — Styliana Resvanis