November 12, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 12, 2024

Organ donation stories weave us together across the country. Tony of Parker, Colo., never would have imagined sharing such a special bond with a woman named Robin who lives in Texas. 

When Tony was 25-years-old he had his first heart attack. Then he suffered another one when he was 30. In 2020, Tony was added to the transplant waitlist for a heart. He was told he couldn’t leave the hospital without one. In March 2020, as Coloradans were still in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, Tony received the news he was anxiously awaiting. He was receiving the gift of life.

Donor stories always have a hero. In this story, Robin’s daughter, Sicily, was that heroic donor who saved Tony’s life. He received her heart and kidney. Robin turned the pain of losing her daughter into an opportunity to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation.

“I’m eternally grateful to them and all other donor families,” Tony said. “Thanks to my donor (Sicily) I’m finding joy being able to do simple things that most people take for granted. I’m cooking, grocery shopping and driving my car again. One of the best things though, has been being able to get back to one of my favorite hobbies, drumming. I started drumming in 4th grade and played in marching bands, jazz bands, gospel groups, rock bands and even recorded a few albums. It feels so good to be able to pick it back up again.”

In October 2024, Tony had the honor of playing the drums with a few fellow heart transplant recipients in the Desert Drum Rumble in Phoenix. The annual event raises money for Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers. With every drumbeat, Tony honored the heart that gave him life. The beat of his drum also recognized the mother who said “yes” to donation during the worst moment of her life and raised awareness for other real life organ donor stories in our community.

“It was a great way for us on transplant row to share the message and show our gratitude for our gifts, especially the ability to get back to doing something that we love and has been a part of our lives for so long,” Tony shared.

November 5, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 5, 2024
November 5, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 5, 2024

Donor Alliance is proud to be a part of the annual Colorado Springs Festival of Lights! The parade features nearly 100 beautifully lighted and decorated entries. Local companies and organizations, large and small, create holiday fantasies to share with children of all ages! Find more information on the parade route here: Festival of Lights Parade Colorado Springs Downton on Tejon

November 5, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 5, 2024
November 5, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 5, 2024

Join us at the Aurora Holiday Tree Lighting! Donor Alliance will set up our Donate Life holiday interactive gift box for residents of Aurora to enjoy. Inside the box, we will have information on organ, eye and tissue donation, and give the option for people to share their connection to donation. The event will also have holiday-themed activities, sweet treats, performances from Aurora Heart Dancers and The Original Dickens Carolers and special appearances from Ana and Elsa, as well as the one and only Santa Claus!

November 5, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 5, 2024
November 5, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 5, 2024

Join us and residents from across Colorado and Wyoming that have either had a family member become a donor, or who have received a transplant themselves, to celebrate the gift of life at the annual 9NEWS Parade of Lights. This year marks the 49th year for the two-mile long parade, which is free to attend and features marching bands, ornate floats and a special appearance by Santa! The parade begins at 14th and Bannock Streets. More information on the route can be found here: Denver’s Parade of Lights Weekend | VISIT DENVER

November 4, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 4, 2024

Some donor recipient stories start at childhood. At only 2 months old, Lella, of Delta, Colo. suffered from a rare liver condition and was added to the organ transplant waitlist. Five months later, a family’s decision during a dark moment provided Lella with a bright future. She received a lifesaving and healing gift – a liver. Liver donor stories like this one are tragic to tell, and Lella wants her donor’s legacy to continue.

Now a teenager, Lella’s donor has given her a chance to find her passion for dance, go to her high school state swimming championships, and spend time with her friends and family. Lella also became the face that represented organ donation stories around our community. These stories inspire people to say “Yes” and check the box at the DMV to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Across the Western Slope, Lella is featured on Donate Life Colorado posters and brochures at Colorado Division of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices. Real life organ donor stories, like hers, connect customers to the mission of saving and healing lives. 

In 2024, it came full circle for Lella at the Delta Driver License Office when she got her license. For the first time, Lella was able to say “yes” and check the box to the simple question that ultimately gave her the gift of life.

“We are so thankful for our donor family’s gift to Lella,” said Lyndall, Lella’s mother. “Our goal as a family is to help someone else, if possible. To see Lella make that choice to register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor filled our hearts with overwhelming pride and hope.”

November 4, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 4, 2024

Real life organ donor stories are around every corner of our community. Every day feels like a gift for Jeremy, of Pueblo, Colo. After being added to the transplant waitlist for a liver in February 2018, Jeremy found himself awaiting that lifesaving gift in an ICU. “It’s like life flashing before your eyes,” he explains. “You’re in the surgical trauma ICU, and you can’t leave without a liver. Everything is dependent on someone else’s yes.” 

Just 10 days later, a selfless decision by a donor and their family in a difficult time gave Jeremy the gift of life. With each new day, Jeremy honors his liver donor. Organ donation stories show how one heroic decision can represent the best of humanity. This miraculous gift transformed Jeremy in many ways. Since his transplant, Jeremy’s life has experienced growth and new beginnings. Thanks to his generous donor and their family, Jeremy has been able to exercise, buy a house, and even find love. 

Reflecting on his journey, he shares, “Have you ever said a word to yourself so many times that it loses all meaning? You need a better word, thankful, gratitude; there’s not a stronger word. I don’t have one.”

Jeremy hopes sharing liver donor stories will inspire Coloradans to check the box to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at the DMV.

November 4, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

November 4, 2024

When you say “Yes” to becoming an organ and tissue donor, you’re not just checking a box. You’re bridging hope from one life to the next. Cody, of Pueblo, Colo., is one of the many donor recipient stories in our community. In 2023, Cody felt like an “abutment” on that bridge of hope. After serious illness left him in desperate need of a liver transplant, in early 2024, Cody received the gift of life from a generous donor. Organ donation stories can help inspire the community to check the box at the DMV. That’s why Cody is now determined to share his story to help Coloradans understand the impact. 

“When you make that decision to be a donor, you’re not only affecting one person’s life, you’re making a ripple effect through everyone they’re connected with, hundreds of lives,” said Cody. “It’s a ripple effect that your donation can offer to the community.” Liver donor stories, like Cody’s, show our community’s collective commitment to being “Rocky Mountain Strong.” Thanks to his generous donor and their family, Cody is enjoying his newly bought home with his fiancé (and their dog) and living each day to honor his donor’s precious gift. 

“Statistically, I shouldn’t be here right now,” said Cody. “Something I think about every day is that that gift to me is a debt I can’t repay. So, I hope to be able to tell the donor’s family at some point that that gift is very much appreciated, more than I can express.”

Donor Alliance is often asked who can’t be an organ, eye and tissue donor. The short answer is, everyone has the potential to be an organ, eye and tissue donor!

Even if you have a chronic illness or health condition when you pass away, you still may be able to give the gift of life to someone in need. Never rule yourself out, regardless of age, lifestyle or health.

What is the age limit on becoming a donor?

There is no age limit to be a donor. Heroes of all ages have given the gift of life.

In Colorado and Wyoming, the oldest tissue donor was 103 years old! The oldest organ donor was well into their 80s! Don’t rule yourself out. You’re NEVER too old to say Yes and give the gift of life.

Charles Shobe

Charles of Jeffrey City, WY – Tissue Donor

Local Connection: Charles Shobe of Jeffrey City, Wyoming was 89 years old when he gave the gift of life through tissue. His decision to be a donor healed the lives of 18 people. Charles’s story is proof you are never too old to make a difference.

What if I’m not healthy enough to be a donor?

Many chronically ill donors have also successfully given the gift of life. Even those with serious health conditions, like diabetes, hepatitis or even rare medical conditions, have helped to save and heal countless lives. Kate Gallagher of Monument, Colorado was one of those heroes.

Kate and Gail Gallagher

Kate with her mom, Gail

Local Connection: Kate was diagnosed with Budd-Chiari Syndrome—a rare clotting disease of the liver—and was placed on the waitlist for a liver transplant. While awaiting her transplant, Kate suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away. As an organ donor, she saved three lives. A grandfather and a grandmother each received one of her kidneys. While her heart saved a 12-year-old girl who suffered a heart attack on a basketball court.

How can I help?

Right now, nearly 1,300 people across Colorado and Wyoming are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Tens of thousands of more people need a tissue transplant. Each year, tissue transplants help those suffering from trauma, disease or blindness. One person can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation.

Say “Yes” and check the box to be an organ, eye and tissue donor the next time you’re at the DMV. You can also register today at DonorAlliance.org.

October 31, 2024

Donation Essentials Blog

October 31, 2024

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