Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

This Mother’s Day, we are thanking all the mothers who have said “yes” to birth tissue donation. Through Donor Network of Arizona’s (DNA) birth tissue donation program, birth tissue (placenta and umbilical cord) can become a priceless gift with the potential to aid in the healing of multiple or various types of surgical procedures. The …

Hope over Fear | How the family of a young organ transplant recipient is facing a global pandemic

Photo: Heart recipient Oliver Crawford with a photo of Myles, his donor. Because Oliver Crawford received his lifesaving heart transplant at just 6 days old, his family is taking extra precautions to keep him safe during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since his transplant, 5-year-old Oliver has been taking anti-rejection medication, which suppresses his immune …

Hope In Challenging Times

“Oh. That’s cool!” That was Kwentin’s only reaction when he learned his sister had registered as an organ, eye and tissue donor when she got her driver’s license in December of 2019. His mother, Cecilia, describes him as “a boy of few words.” But that short family conversation about the gift of life helped her …

Donation during a global pandemic

Organ transplantation is not an elective surgery. It is a life-or-death surgical intervention for people in organ failure. Therefore, the gift of life continues, but the process has changed slightly for organ, eye and tissue recovery, donor risk screenings, and how we have conversations with donor families in an era of social distancing. Amid the …

Helping Others by Helping Yourself

Now nearly three months into 2020, how many of us have already begun feeling burnt out? “What have you done for you?” asked Michelle Post to more than 400 attendees at Donor Network of Arizona’s (DNA) 2019 “Illuminate” Donation Symposium last August. Followed by, “What can you do to take care of yourself?” It is …

Honoring Gift of Life at Fiesta Bowl Parade

Each year, Donate Life Arizona honors all who are touched by the gift of donation at the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Donor families and recipients walk side-by-side in Donate Life Arizona’s parade segment, showcasing the legacies created through organ, eye and tissue donation. Accompanying these touching stories was a giant balloon of Reggie, the Donor Cactus, …

A Christmas Miracle

After a nomadic, military-family childhood, Jason Burruel and his parents put down roots in the Valley in 1981, and he started high school. Fast forward to April 2016—married with two children—Burruel previously had a quadruple bypass, but it wasn’t enough. Doctors said he needed a new heart. The fear of his children growing up without …

Giving thanks for the gift of donation

November is a time to gather with loved ones and give thanks. It is also when we reflect on the healing gift of eye donation, as November is also Eye Donation Month. This year, we celebrate Eye Donation Month by remembering Elijah Perez, a young man who saved lives and gave the gift of sight. …

A Celebration of Life

Smiles were shared, stories were told, families embraced, and loved ones were honored on a warm October day at Steele Indian School Park. Marcel Pincince, director of Donor Family and Advocate Services at Donor Network of Arizona, spoke deeply to hundreds of donor families about the power of their love ones’ donation and how special …

Campus Challenge

The sound of excited students filled the hallways of the Sun Devil Fitness complex, in anticipation of what the new semester would bring. School clubs and community organizations shared their stories, ideas, missions and goals with students eager to get involved and make a difference. Donate Life Arizona hosted a table with free T-shirts and …

Donor Network of Arizona

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