Story of Hope

When Ryan O’Neal Parker, just 21 years old, passed away in a boating accident, his family’s life was changed forever. Each year, Ryan’s memory is honored with a fishing tournament at Lake Tuscaloosa – Hook a Line Save a Life.

Ossie Carey describes the phone call relaying that there was a heart transplant match for him as a SEE, which the military terms a “Significant Emotional Event”.

It’s not often that you think about breathing unless you have trouble doing it, which was the reality for most of Katie Pilston’s life. “I was born with cystic fibrosis (CF), so at a pretty early age I started having lung issues,” she said. “I was told that probably by the time I turned 18, I would need a transplant.” 

In December 2022, Judy Burch celebrated 22 years since receiving her liver transplant. “The day I was put on the transplant list, my husband and

As a nurse, Sharon Hudson had always been pro organ donation given she had been exposed to the process several times throughout her career. She

Don White should be the poster child for kidney transplants. It’s been 30 years and counting since he was given a life-saving gift. National Kidney

Lockhart is proof that no matter how old you are, you can still potentially give the gift of life through organ donation. In fact, there is no age limit for registering to become an organ donor. Doctors say the issue is health, not age that determines donation suitability. Additionally, it is also possible to pass on the gift of life through tissue and cornea donation.

When Michael Shelby’s husband Anthony passed away unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm, he didn’t hesitate to carry out his final wish, which was to be an organ donor.

By changing the conversation around organ, eye and tissue donation across all ethnicities, the National Minority Donor Awareness Month hopes to help save and heal the lives of diverse communities and bring heightened awareness to the health disparities that exist for minorities.

donor family