Stories of Hope
Lella
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.”
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Cindy
When Cindy Corlett lost her daughter Molly, her world shattered. But even in the heartbreak, knowing that Molly saved five lives through organ donation became a source of healing. Molly had proudly checked the box when she got her license at 16. That one decision has kept her memory alive in the most meaningful way. […]
Stef Duer
Stef never imagined that the work she’d one day dedicate her life to would become the very thing that helped her heal. She began her work as a Donor Family Coordinator at Donor Alliance a few years ago, supporting families through the process of organ, eye and tissue donation after loss. But her connection to […]
Aris & Dom
For Aris, a longtime DMV employee, asking people if they want to register as donors is part of his everyday work. But one day, a man walked up to him with a red rose and changed everything. The man told Aris that years ago, he was on a transplant waitlist and that because Aris asked […]