A selfless donor, unshakable hope and a family’s strength changed everything.

Jonathan Ortepi was dying when I first met him in November 2023. His skin was discoloured, his eyes were dark, and he was extremely thin. Although he was in desperate need of a liver donor, his smile shone brighter than most.

Going into the Christmas holidays that year, I received a message from Jonathan’s wife, Sabrina. She informed me that, by the grace of a generous donor, Jonathan was currently in the hospital getting prepped for surgery to receive his new liver.

Fast forward to April 2025, when I connected with both Sabrina and Jonathan to do a follow-up, Part II interview to capture their story and journey to recovery. Among the many things that I was surprised to learn about his harder- than-expected recovery journey, what caught me by beautiful surprise … was the Jonathan Ortepi who was standing before me.

His skin tone had returned to normal; he filled out his shirt with muscle. Plus, his smile was just as bright as before. More than a year post-transplant, Ortepi is feeling physically strong. He’s back to cycling, working out and even indulging in the foods he once loved.

“I can finally say I feel like myself again,” he shares, in a recent interview with City Life. “Before, I could wrap two fingers around my biceps, I’d lost so much muscle. Now, I’m back to my physical self.”

But recovery goes beyond the physical. Weekly blood tests, the looming fear of organ rejection, and what many didn’t foresee, which was one of the most terrifying challenges he faced: memory loss.

Two weeks post-op, Jonathan lost his memory for nearly a month. “It was like I was watching my life through a fog,” he says. “The little I remember is me asking Sabrina, over and over, ‘It’ll come back, right?’” He asked that question hundreds of times, and every time, Sabrina reassured him — sometimes projecting more confidence than she actually felt. That unwavering support, he says, was his anchor.

Even simple tasks became overwhelming. “I forgot how to use certain programs on my computer,” he recalls. “It was like my brain short-circuited.” But through the haze, his passion project — 905 Klean Kicks, a sneaker restoration and design business — offered both a creative outlet and a lifeline. “Somehow, I still knew how to work on sneakers,” he laughs. “That muscle memory helped ground me.”

With the help of his family, Jonathan began piecing his life back together, step by step. “There were dark days,” he says. “But the strength of my wife, Sabrina, and my kids kept me going.”

But the heart of his story lies in the gift he received from Jessica, a stranger who donated a piece of herself to save him. “When my daughter asked her why she did it, Jessica said, ‘I did it for you guys. So your dad could be there.’” Ortepi’s voice breaks with emotion. “She gave me bonus days. I don’t have the words to thank her.”

Today, Jonathan is passionately involved as a director of Move for Life, a non-profit promoting transplant awareness and organ donation. He’s sharing his story and inspiring others to register as donors. “This is how I give back,” he says. “It’s not just about survival — it’s about helping the next person.”

@move.for.life.foundation