Damon Draheim received the heart at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray on March 22. He, along with other transplant recipients and doctors involved in the program, spoke in the Capitol rotunda Tuesday.

"Talk about winning the lottery," said Draheim, a 42-year-old Salt Lake City resident. "I've got a second chance. . . . I'm going to do the best I can with it."

Called the Utah Transplant Affiliated Hospitals Cardiac Transplant Program, it combines the efforts and expertise of four hospitals: IMC, University Health Care, VA Medical Center and Primary Children's Medical Center. Instead of competing for patients and hearts - as is done is other states - the hospitals have one wait list for heart recipients and join forces for care and research.

The program started 23 years ago, when Tony Shepard received a heart at the University Hospital.

Program director Dale Renlund said Utah would not have reached the milestone without collaboration. And he said the care would not have been as good. Utah transplant patients live longer than the national average, he said. Nationally, half of transplant patients will be dead in nine years, compared to 12 years in Utah.

Tuesday's speakers repeatedly praised the families of the donors. Wesley Hill received a heart when he was 9 years old.

Now 21, the Salt Lake City resident said he was able to fulfill a dream of serving an LDS mission and he's set to compete in the U.S. Transplant Games in July.

He said he hasn't met his donor's family, "but I can tell you that I love them very much."