Anna King lives a fairly normal life these days. The Mayfield High School graduate is a junior at Lasell University, where she’s studying graphic design.

This semester has been particularly busy, as she juggles being the art director of Polished Magazine and work on a ceramic mural titled "You Belong."

About the piece, which includes almost 900 tiles created by community members, King says, “It’s all about showing the light at Lasell that is still here, despite these challenging times.”

Adversity is something King has a lot of experience with, starting well before the COVID-19 pandemic. When she was 12 years old, she was told she would need a new heart.

“I was unexpectedly diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, and was told I needed a heart transplant to live, so that was a shock,” says King.

She and her family waited 832 days for a heart. During that time, she created a Facebook group, Humor Heals the Heart, in effort to keep people updated on her journey.

Today, the page has more than 7,500 "likes."

King has also been a featured speaker at several conventions and conferences.

“I like to say I became an accidental advocate for all of these things. We kind of discovered that I have a bit of a knack for public speaking and for sharing my story, and that’s remained a lifelong mission of mine,” says King.

April is Donate Life Month, which encourages Americans to become organ donors. It's something that has changed King's life.

“There’s no greater gift that you can give someone than organ donation, and I wouldn’t be here without it,” says King.