Donate Life Kentucky is excited to announce Kentucky Senate Bill 77 passed unanimously in the House Committee for Health and Family Services. This groundbreaking bill will amend KRS 311.1947 to expand organ donor registration to the Commonwealth’s single sign-on system and will become effective January 1, 2020. KODA and Trust For Life have worked extensively with Senator Julie Raque Adams on this bill to grow the Donor Registry.  The new 8-year Kentucky driver’s license impact on the registry had put…

February is American Heart Month and I want to share a special firsthand account as a parent of a very young donor recipient. My little girl’s whose life was forever changed thanks to a heartfelt donation. “I am writing to share the story of my daughter Eleanor, who is alive today because of an organ donor.She was born with multiple congenital heart defects. A team of doctors determined that her only option was a heart transplant. At 10 days old,…

February 14th is National Donor Day, which aims to serve as a reminder of the importance of discussing the lifesaving possibilities of organ and tissue donation.  Thanks to the Circuit Court Clerks of Kentucky, showing the heart on your driver’s license is the perfect way to start a conversation about love and legacy. Melissa Cardwell, Butler Co. Circuit Court Clerk said, “We encourage everyone to use National Donor Day to discuss organ donation with those closest to you.  Joining the…

(Louisville, KY, Jan. 16, 2019):   Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) had a record-setting year in 2018 saving more lives and giving more individuals the gift of living longer.  The organ procurement organization cared for 134 organ donors resulting in 423 organs transplanted.  These were the highest numbers of organ donors and organs transplanted in KODA’s 32-year history. Also, more than 30,000 lives were enhanced by the generosity of the 367 tissue donors.  An additional 1,000 patients have gained the gift…

November is a month of giving THANKS!  It is a time that many take the time to enjoy family and friends and to remember all the “Good Things” in their life!  Every November begins a new season of “giving,” and it is also a time that many around the world recognize as the “Donor Sabbath” month. During the National Donor Sabbath, faith leaders, donor families, transplant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in services and programs to increase awareness.…

Last month, one of our beloved Ambassadors, Alyssa LaRosa, passed away. She was stylish, thoughtful and had a social media presence that was unparalleled. Every chance she could, she was promoting the mission of organ donation and encouraging/educating others to become registered donors. She was a registered donor, then became a tissue and cornea donor at her passing. She thought of it as a way to pay it forward. Alyssa’s brother, Tré, wanted to share his thoughts on his sister and…

Currently, there are 116,000+ men, women and children waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S.  Every day 22 people die waiting with someone new added to the organ donor list every 10 minutes. One of those is Courtney, and this is her story. My name is Courtney Thompson, I’m 23 years old and on the waiting list for a double lung transplant. I have Cystic Fibrosis, a progressive genetic lung disease, and to beat it I’ll need a…

August 2, 2014 – Our journey began! While on reserve duty at Ft Knox, KY I had an unstoppable coughing event, so I went to Ireland Army Hospital where I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. I went through several procedures to try and avoid a transplant, but none were effective enough. June 19, 2015- The decision was made to try to keep me healthy enough to get a heart transplant. I entered the hospital on September 4, 2015 (Friday…

August 2, 2014 – Our journey began! While on reserve duty at Ft Knox, KY I had an unstoppable coughing event, so I went to Ireland Army Hospital where I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. I went through several procedures to try and avoid a transplant, but none were effective enough. June 19, 2015- The decision was made to try to keep me healthy enough to get a heart transplant. I entered the hospital on September 4, 2015 (Friday…

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted, but this letter from one of our wonderful Donate Life Ambassadors celebrating their donor is too good not to share on this holiday celebrating love. Dear Valentine in Heaven, I look at this picture and see silly handshakes, goofy dance moves, a shared love of Rocky and cheese curls, and inside jokes that I will never understand. But, I also see a side to each of them that wouldn’t exist without the other. I…