It’s the season of giving and it’s hard to imagine anything better than the gift of life. Right now, there are currently more than 2,500 Coloradans waiting for an organ transplant. Jeff Leone used to be one of them, as he’s received a kidney transplant twice. The first time was from a 23-year-old who was killed in a car accident. That difficult experience has pushed Leone to become an advocate for Donate Life Colorado. He also teaches transplantation science classes to middle school and high school students.

Watch the story here.

The former Denver Public Schools teacher will represent Colorado on the 15th annual Donate Life float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., in January. The float aims to inspire others to save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. Leone and his kidneys travel to teach the science behind donations and transplants to students across the state. He made a stop at the Denver Center for International Studies Tuesday morning.

Watch the story.

By Jose Amezola Beltran, Living Kidney Donor – Right now, there are more than two thousand Coloradans waiting for a kidney transplant and more than 98 thousand people waiting nationwide. The average time a patient spends on the waiting list is 3-5 years. For me, it was an easy decision to help. After considering becoming a living kidney donor for some time—and after a bit of resistance from my loved ones—in 2013, I donated my left kidney to a woman I had never met in Sacramento, Calif.

Read the story here.

By Donor Mother Kelli Jantz: Join me in raising awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation this holiday season. I lost my son when he was just 14 years old. Jake was my youngest and loved the things that many teenage boys do: sports, playing X-Box and hanging out with his friends and family. A football fanatic and member of his high school team, Jake would get up at 5:45 a.m., a full hour and fifteen minutes before the rest of his friends, to prepare for his football games.

Read the story here.

Organ transplants are life-saving procedures. According to National Donation organizations, 22 people die each day while waiting for an organ. This weekend is National Donor Sabbath, November 10 through 12, a three-day observance where faith leaders, donation, and transplantation professionals, and families impacted by organ transplants work to educate people about the need for life-saving organ, eye and tissue donations.

Watch the video here.

This week has been declared as recognition to organ donors through a proclamation by the governor. So what does being an organ donor really mean to people? It’s a little box to check when filling out for your driver’s license, but for some it’s a lifesaving little box. Ryea O’Neill at Donor Alliance told News 13, “About fifty-nine percent of Wyomingites have signed up and support organ, eye, and tissue donation. That places Wyoming ninth in the nation for that donor designation rate.”

Watch the video here.

Governor Matthew Mead proclaims Sept. 25- 29 as DMV Appreciation Week in the State of Wyoming. K2-TV speaks with Ryea O’Neill of Donate Life Wyoming to learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation. 

Watch the video here.

As if having a traumatic brain injury in common wasn’t enough, Jim Eastman and Scott La Point now share another life-altering event. Six weeks ago, La Point’s left kidney was transplanted into Eastman,bolstering his health and adding years to his life. Eastman’s journey to replace his failing kidneys is a masterful study in how to gracefully navigate a terrifying health issue. La Point’s story speaks to how offering support and charity can be a way of living every day.

Read the story here.

“Tanner spent many a many hours out here on this same field,” said Tanner Denton’s mother Allison McKissen. And on that baseball field at Suplizio, Tanner’s parents and sister threw out ceremonial first pitches to honor Tanner on Donate Life Night. “So to be able to go out and do that in honor of him and in honor of all the donor families and recipients it’s, I, I’m speechless over a lot of it,” said McKissen.

Watch the story here.

The Grand Junction Rockies fans came out Saturday to not only support the game but also a great cause. Donor Alliance hosted its 2nd annual Donate Life Night, themed around the organ, eye and tissue donation. Players wore special Donate Life jerseys which were later auctioned off to raise money for the cause.

Watch the story here.

Nearly 6,000 people filled Washington Park in Denver Sunday morning for the 17^th annual Donor Alliance Donor Dash. The 5K event is designed to celebrate the gift of life. It honors those who are alive and others who saved lives through organ and tissue donation.

Watch the story here.

A total of 5,857 participants either ran or walked in Sunday’s Donor Dash at Washington Park. In the crowd, donor families and donor recipients. The annual event by Donor Alliance brought together thousands of Coloradans who honored the lives of organ, eye and tissue donors — and celebrated the lives of their recipients. “I went to a physical and was told I had stage 3 cancer. I had 12 months to live,” Stephen Salcedo said. As of Sunday, it had been 17 months since his liver transplant. Before the start of the 5K, he was at the front of the running crowd.

Watch the story here.