History

Since the first kidney transplant in 1954, the medical field has made significant strides in the field of organ donation. Each year, thousands of Americans get a second chance at life because of organ transplantation. Post transplant, patient’s usually lead very normal and fulfilling lives, often times becoming physically active again or picking up new hobbies.

Colorado and Wyoming have experienced significant milestones and have been impacted by many inspirational stories about organ and tissue donation over the past 25 years. Please click here to download "The 25 years of living history" PDF (3.2mb) for a journey of how organ and tissue donation has impacted both the nation and our two-state area.

25-Year Timeline

Donor Alliance was formed in 1997 as the result of a merger between Colorado Organ Recovery Systems (CORS) and the Mile High Transplant Bank (MHTB). This timeline is not only our history, but the history of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in our nation. We have done our best to capture the highlights. We dedicate this living history to the courageous men, women, children and their families who gave so generously of themselves so that others could live. It is also dedicated to the brave recipients who have given us the knowledge that any life given to save the life of another, is not lived in vain. Finally, we dedicate this to the daring medical professionals who challenge the conventions of science to save and enhance lives through organ and tissue donation.

1980

MHTB is formed by a grant provided by the Junior League of Denver
Dr. Jean Dausset wins the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering HLA molecules, the organ donor antigens critical to tissue typing
Dr. Clive Callendar explores why minorities donate less frequently. Callendar identifies five reasons: lack of information, religious beliefs, fear of premature death, mistrust of the medical community and racist fears that organs and tissues will only go to Caucasians
The Surgeon General of the United States hosts a workshop to increase organ donation. His challenge, “…expand the enterprise through increased donation, so that all who need transplantation will benefit”

1981

First successful heart/lung transplant performed by Dr. Norman Shumway and Dr. Bruce Reitz at Stanford Medical Center
A presidential commission under President Ronald Reagan refines the concept of brain death and proposes a Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA), which all states in the U.S. and countries in the western world adopt

1982

Dr. William DeVries implants the first artificial heart into a Salt Lake City man
The parents of 11-month-old Jamie Fiske mount a media campaign to find a liver donor for their daughter. Among those who join the appeal is President Ronald Reagan. Jamie receives a liver and this act contributes to the passage of a federally mandated system for organ allocation in 1984
The Lions Club of Colorado and Wyoming charter an eye bank known today as the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank in Denver

1983

First successful single-lung transplant is performed by Dr. Joel Cooper at Toronto General Hospital in Ontario, Canada
Cyclosporine, the first of a number of drugs that effectively treat organ rejection by suppressing the human immune system, is introduced
Human Tissue Act of 1983 is signed
MHTB participates in the Science of Transplantation program at the Hall of Life at Denver’s Museum of Nature & Science

1984

Surgeons at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California transplant the heart from a seven-month old baboon, into a baby girl known as “Baby Fae.” She lives for twenty days, and dies of kidney failure
The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) passes, establishing the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) to guarantee fairness in the distribution of donated organs. This same federal law also forbids the sale of organs and tissues
Cyclosporine becomes commercially available; transplant list continues to grow

1985

CORS receives federally designated Organ Procurement Organization status from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Everett Spees M.D. of St. Luke's Hospital in Denver performs the first deceased donor kidney transplant in November
Study shows that 71 percent of respondents believe that if someone signs a donor card, relatives should not be allowed to overrule that decision

1986

Denver’s Porter Adventist Hospital begins its Kidney Transplant Program under the direction of Brack Hattler, M.D. and Chakko Kuruvila M.D. First successful double-lung transplant performed by Dr. Joel Cooper at Toronto General Hospital in Ontario, Canada
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is awarded the initial federal contract to operate the OPTN
The monoclonal antibody for kidney transplants is the first biotechnologically-derived product to gain FDA approval for use within the body. Clinical trials of the product show kidney rejections are reversed in 94 percent of patients
Researchers Folkert Belzer M.D. and James Southard Ph.D. of the University of Wisconsin- Madison, develop the UW solution – a synthetic solution that increases storage time from six to 36 hours for organs such as livers and pancreata
MHTB hosts ‘Bronco Picture Days’ where members of the community get photographed with Denver Bronco players

1987

All hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are required to establish programs to encourage organ and tissue donation
Congress authorizes the President to issue a proclamation observing the week of April 26 through May 2, 1987 as “National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week” Medicare begins paying for heart transplants at hospitals meeting certain criteria set by HCFA
First pediatric heart transplant takes place MHTB forms the nation’s first tissue bank cooperative
CORS reports on a Gallup Poll showing 93 percent of Americans would consent to donation

1988

The University of Colorado Hospital begins its Heart Transplant Program under the direction of JoAnn Lindenfeld M.D. and David Campbell M.D. Americans Dr. George Hitching and Dr. Gertrude Elion, and Englishman Dr. James W. Black win the Nobel Prize in Medicine for developing drugs and principles of treatment that suppress the immune system
Everett Spees M.D. begins the Pancreas Transplant Program at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver
First split-liver transplant is performed with two recipients at the Paul Brousse Hospital in France
The University of Colorado Hospital begins formal Kidney, Liver and Pancreas Transplant Programs under the direction of Igal Kam, M.D. First bowel transplant performed

1989

The number of tissue transplants in the U.S. exceeds 200,000
The Transplant Council of the Rockies, a not-for-profit alliance of local organizations is formed to educate the public about organ and tissue donation
First successful living-donor liver transplant performed by Dr. Christoph Broelsch at the University of Chicago
CORS receives federal grant to evaluate and characterize the region’s donor pool

1990

David Campbell M.D. begins The Children's Hospital Cardiac Transplant Program in Denver “Patches of Love,” a national donor quilt is created by a mother who lost her youngest daughter
The Children’s Hospital begins their Liver Transplant Program under the direction of Fritz Karrer M.D. A survey conducted by researchers at three Universities, finds that black people wait an average 139 months for a kidney transplant while white people wait about 76 months
First successful living-donor lung transplant performed by Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes at Stanford Medical Center

1991

The University of Colorado Hospital begins its Lung Transplant Program under the direction of Frederick Grover M.D. and Martin Zamora M.D. Patient Self-Determination Act passes, encouraging the use of advanced directives such as living wills and decisions about organ and tissue donation
The Rabbinical Council of America (Orthodox) approves organ and tissue donation as permissible, and even required, from brain-dead patients

1992

MHTB forms the Transplant Foundation, which functions as a corporate foundation and vehicle for contributions from 1993 to 1997
At Porter Adventist Hospital, Ben Vernon M.D. begins the Pancreas Transplant Program and Eric Kortz M.D. begins the Liver Transplant Program
National Donor Family Council (NDFC) is created by the National Kidney Foundation
The Coalition on Donation, a Richmond, Virginia based not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and local affiliates forms to educate the public about organ and tissue donation
UNOS prepares first-ever comprehensive report on transplant survival rates for all active U.S. transplant centers

1993

The FDA introduces donor eligibility rules for tissue donation
National Kidney Foundation conducts the firstever national survey of organ and tissue donor families documenting current experiences throughout the donation process

1994

AlloSource is founded as one of the nation’s largest non-profit processors of bone and soft-tissue allografts
Kenneth V. Iserson, M.D. publishes “Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies?,” a book which answers many questions including how organs and tissues are recovered and transplanted
Medicare publishes conditions for hospital participation in organ and tissue donation programs

1995

Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver transplants a kidney from an Oklahoma City bombing victim
The FDA approves CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil), a new immunosuppressant drug that will reduce the incidence of organ rejection following transplantation

1996

Michael Jordan signs on as the national spokesperson for organ and tissue donation

1997

Donor Alliance is formed through the merger of CORS and MHTB
Vice President Al Gore announces a new five-year initiative to promote organ and tissue donation in the U.S.
Ryan Tripp of Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 12, rides his lawn mower across the country to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation

1998

The United States Post Office releases the first organ and tissue donation postage stamp
SB 98-072 in Colorado, establishes that a donor’s declaration is irrevocable and does not require consent or concurrence of any person after the donor’s death
Deputy Surgeon General Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu helps lead a campaign to increase organ and tissue donation
Conditions of Participation (CoP) in Medicare and Medicaid are revised, requiring hospitals to call the OPO on every death
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) regulation of OPTN is placed on hold after the U.S. District Court in Louisiana issues a temporary injunction preventing its implementation
Twin-engine plane carrying a Wisconsin transplant team crashes. The recovery team survives, but the heart and lung are lost in the accident

1999

UNOS launches UNet, a secure, internet-based transplant information database system for all organ matching and management of transplant data
Boulder sculptor Susan Grant Raymond creates an art sculpture called, ‘The Gift” in Donor Alliance’s honor, which is donated to Hudson Gardens in Denver
Vice President Al Gore announces a $13 million dollar grant program to increase awareness of organ and tissue donation
UNOS unveils an online data information service for patients and families. Site is aimed at giving the public a better understanding of the process of transplantation
CryoLife, a tissue processor in Georgia, reports success in the first-ever tissue-engineered heart valve transplant in a human patient
Secretary of HHS, Donna Shalala, asks the transplant community to trust their desires to make the transplant system more safe
President Bill Clinton signs the first federal employee organ donation leave act
HCFA’s attempt to open up competition for service areas covered by low performing OPOs is thwarted by Congress. Members argue that, “…the current data being used to calculate compliance with the performance standards are flawed”

2000

HHS publishes Final Rule (federal regulation) for the operation of OPTN
Donor Alliance hosts the first Donor Dash, a 5K race in Denver’s Washington Park
The University of Colorado Hospital transplants its 1,000th adult kidney
HHS expands its donation initiative to include living donation
Wyoming Cares, Wyoming Shares becomes effective to raise funds for organ and tissue donation awareness

2001

For the first time, the number of living organ donors surpasses the number of deceased organ donors
Donor Alliance hires Family Support Coordinators who are dedicated to working with donor families. Several of those hired are bilingual, allowing communication with Spanish speaking families
Guidance is issued to the professional nursing community about its role in organ and tissue donation
Donor Alliance recovers organs and tissue from its first Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD) donor
The FDA publishes human cell and tissue product regulations
AlloSource launches their joint restoration program, providing a new line of fresh allografts specifically for joint repair
Governor and Mrs. Owens issue a public awareness campaign called “Week of the Family,” encouraging families to discuss organ and tissue donation
Secretary of HHS, Tommy G. Thompson, launches the Workplace Partnership for Life initiative
Donor Alliance implements the Colorado Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, www.ColoradoDonorRegistry.org
In the wake of September 11, TravelAire Charter has the first plane in the air transporting a coordinator to Casper, Wyoming for an organ recovery

2002

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly publishes a cover story on organ and tissue donation focusing on the ethics of buying and selling organs
Donor Alliance launches its first-ever Registry appreciation campaign at Peaberry Coffee with the theme, “Help Someone Wake Up to Another Cup of Coffee.” National Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD) policy is introduced. Experts predict the policy change could increase the number of eligible donors by 14 percent
Chris Klug wins Olympic Bronze medal after receiving a liver transplant from the University of Colorado Hospital
The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) are created for liver allocation. The MELD and PELD scores are based on a patient's risk of dying while waiting for a liver transplant, and are based on objective and verifiable medical data

2003

Donor Alliance implements the Wyoming Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, www.WyomingDonorRegistry.org
Donor Alliance creates the Donor Alliance Foundation, which is designed to develop and strengthen Donor Alliance’s credibility and visibility in the community
Wyoming announces that 80 percent of licensed drivers said yes to donation by joining the Wyoming Donor Registry
HRSA launches the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative. Donor Alliance is chosen as one of six “best practice” sites for its Family Support Coordinator model
Transplant surgeons at Johns Hopkins perform the first triple-kidney transplant operation
UNOS adopts new rules to clarify how hospitals and organ procurement organizations verify critical medical information after a 17-year-old girl dies because her donated organs did not match her blood type

2004

The Coalition on Donation enters first-ever organ and tissue donation parade float, “A Symphony of Life” into the Tournament of Roses Parade. Donor Alliance sends Brittney Andrews, a heart recipient, to ride on the float representing Colorado
Donor Alliance recovers organs from 100 local donors and tissues from 601 local donors – record numbers for the organization
The Children’s Hospital in Denver receives a federal grant to conduct the first pediatric DCD transplant in the nation
The nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the first organ transplant, when Dr. Joseph E. Murray performed the world’s first successful living donor kidney transplant in Boston, Massachusetts on December 23rd 1954
18-year-old Nikki Fix of Eaton, Colorado receives live joint tissue to replace her elbow. In 2003, Fix received a knee joint from a different donor
UNOS introduces new rules to make it easier for African Americans to receive kidney transplants
Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center conducts the first-ever transplant arranged by a commercial internet matching site
39 percent of organ donors and 51 percent of tissue donors are on the Colorado and Wyoming Donor Registries
Donor Alliance is accused of killing a man for his organs. Montrose coroner makes an accusation that has national and international implications. After an investigation, Donor Alliance is vindicated and the number of people signing up to be donors increases as a result
Donor Alliance facilitates the first islet cell transplant in Colorado at the University of Colorado Hospital
Donor Awareness Council (formerly the Transplant Council of the Rockies) announces that 59 percent of licensed drivers said yes to donation by joining the Colorado Donor Registry

2005

A Columbine shooting victim who received a tissue transplant, rides on the Tournament of Roses Parade Float, “Many Families One Gift” with her family
The University of Colorado Hospital hosts a dinner celebrating its 1,000th liver transplant since 1988, honoring the work of Igal Kam, M.D. HHS publishes Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed regulations for OPOs and transplant centers
Donor Alliance takes the Science of Transplantation from the Hall of Life, re-brands the program and implements it in Junior and Senior high schools throughout Colorado
Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center celebrates their 1,000th kidney transplant
Donor Alliance has a record number of participants at the Donor Dash, with 815 runners and walkers
50th Anniversary of the first successful cornea transplant conducted by Dr. Eduard Zirm in 1905
On September 29th Donor Alliance recovers organs from the 101st donor, exceeding the organization’s all time high of 100 in 2004

We are pleased to announce the creation of Colorado’s new specialty Donate Life license plate. CLICK HERE.

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