Months of despair gave way to a time of hope for Dave Olson and his family in Mondovi in October. That's when he received a kidney from Sally Pfund, a long-time volleyball coach who passed away unexpectedly at age 49.

"It's very difficult," Dave said. "Lots of mixed emotions."

"The circumstances are very tragic," said Pfund's sister, Cindy Johnson. "The fact that I actually know Davey and that he was lucky enough to receive one of her organs makes me very happy."

Now Dave has blood drawn every other day, and takes anti-rejection medication daily.

Doctors are making sure he's getting the right doses.

"I'm just worried that something will come up and that he'll have to stay at the hospital again for a while," said the Olsons' 11-year-old son Wyatt. "I don't want that."

Dave says the medication makes him susceptible to skin cancer, but that his doctors tell him things are looking good so far.

"Every time the blood tests come back that everything's working great is just a good peace of mind," said Dave's wife Wendy.

The Olsons say Sally and her family deserve the credit for that.
"I can pretty much lead a pretty normal life now, thanks to her," Dave said.

Dave may be back to work in early December, but he says he'll spend the rest of his life keeping a close eye on his health.

"They tell me six months is the goal," he said. "If you can make it six months without a real rejection episode, you're probably good to go."
It's thanks to "The Gift of Life" he says he was very lucky to receive.

A spokesperson for UW-Health Transplant and Organ Procurement says right now more than 1,500 people are on the waiting list for an organ transplant.