United Tissue Resources

11/13/2025

On World Kindness Day, we recognize the incredible kindness of registered donors, living donors and donor families in giving the gift of life and hope. 💙💚🌏

Register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at www.DonateLifeTexas.org. and share it with your family and friends!

11/11/2025

11/07/2025

November is Eye Donation Month

UTR proudly joins in the effort to raise awareness about cornea donation and transplantation, to honor the gift of sight given by donors and their families. So far in 2025, donor heroes have allowed UTR to recover 24 corneas. We celebrate along with the recipients of these gifts, who will now be able to live their lives to the fullest.

Join us in spreading the word and helping to give the gift of sight! 💙💚

11/05/2025

UTR joins the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation, in proudly celebrating Native American Indian Heritage Month. We honor the resilience, generosity, and leadership of Native communities in donation and transplantation.

11/04/2025

🚴‍♂️ FIVE TEXAS STOPS. ONE MISSION.

From Canyon to Fredericksburg, the Lone Star Circle of Life Bike Tour is more than a ride- it’s a moving tribute to Texans who gave, received, and are still waiting on the gift of life.

Every day this week, riders pedal 100+ miles in honor of real people. Organ donors like Heath Bennett. Recipients like Samantha Gonzalez. Families like the Rochas, still telling their son’s story so others can live.

Today, the wheels stop in ALBILENE—where the community gathers at McMurry University to hear stories that remind us what matters: legacy, love, and second chances.

From tearful hugs to new connections, every stop has been unforgettable. And we’re just getting started.

TOUR SCHEDULE
✅ Nov 2 – Canyon
✅ Nov 3 – Lubbock
🟡 Nov 5 – Abilene [TODAY!] 3:30 PM, McMurry University (“Backyard”)
➡️ Nov 6 – San Angelo 2:15 PM Lake View High School, 900 E. 43 rd St.
➡️ Nov 8 – Fredericksburg 12:00 PM, Lady Bird Johnson Park, Pavilion #5, Lady Bird Dr

🔗 See the full schedule + honoree stories: www.lscol.com🚴‍♂️ FIVE TEXAS STOPS. ONE MISSION.

From Canyon to Fredericksburg, the Lone Star Circle of Life Bike Tour is more than a ride- it’s a moving tribute to Texans who gave, received, and are still waiting on the gift of life.

Every day this week, riders pedal 100+ miles in honor of real people. Organ donors like Heath Bennett. Recipients like Samantha Gonzalez. Families like the Rochas, still telling their son’s story so others can live.

Today, the wheels stop in Lubbock—where the community gathers at UMC to hear stories that remind us what matters: legacy, love, and second chances.

From tearful hugs to new connections, every stop has been unforgettable. And we’re just getting started.

TOUR SCHEDULE
✅ Nov 2 – Canyon
🟡 Nov 3 – Lubbock [TODAY!] 2:30 PM, University Medical Center, 602 Indiana
➡️Nov 5 – Abilene 3:30 PM, McMurry University (“Backyard”)
➡️ Nov 6 – San Angelo 2:15 PM Lake View High School, 900 E. 43 rd St.
➡️ Nov 8 – Fredericksburg 12:00 PM, Lady Bird Johnson Park, Pavilion #5, Lady Bird Dr

🔗 See the full schedule + honoree stories: www.lscol.com

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween! 🦇🎃 Don't hang around – register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor today! 💙💚

10/28/2025

On Oct.18, UTR hosted the families of our donor heroes for our annual Donor Family Tribute. Linda and Peter Thune honored us by attending. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of the families who allow us to complete our mission!

"I finally got it done! A donor quilt for United Tissue Resources/Lemuel Bradshaw, my inspiration in living, with a generous donation of fabric from Dr. Susan Penfied.

This is the first year I made the whole quilt myself; I usually sew the organ/tissue donor’s picture onto the quilts that are already made. But they filled up, so I got brave to make the entire quilt this time; I started quilting after Annie died as a way to hold my grief. There are pictures of loved ones I have already started adding, including Annie’s picture, on top.

Peter and I were so honored to attend the Donor Appreciation Luncheon, twenty-one stories high above Austin this year. What an honor to speak about our Annie to the many families there who shared our pain. I was overwhelmed by the love that filled the beautiful space. I know all of our beloved and dearly missed family members were there with us."

10/15/2025

10/13/2025

Robin (Breast cancer survivor, recipient of skin grafts)
From Surviving to Thriving

Robin Lewis was enjoying life as a successful executive when she received shocking news. Her aunt called, saying she found a lump and was diagnosed with breast cancer. This alarmed Robin because cancer runs in their family. Her mother had breast cancer, and her grandmother also died at an early age from the disease.

“Robin, I never miss a mammogram. I just happened to have been doing a self-exam and felt it,” her Aunt Terri said. The wheels of concern began churning in Robin’s head. Later that evening, Robin did a self-exam. To her surprise, Robin also felt a lump. She immediately made an appointment with her physician who referred her for imaging. While Robin was dressing after her mammogram, the nurse said: “Don’t get dressed. The doctor wants to examine you right now.” After scoping both breasts, the doctor revealed he was 99% sure there was cancer on both sides.

Although a biopsy later confirmed cancer, the surgeon said these reassuring words, “Yes, you have cancer, but you don’t need to get your affairs in order!” Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Her thoughts immediately shifted from surviving to thriving.

Because of Robin’s past experience working in donation and transplantation, she has a special appreciation of the impact donated tissue makes in the lives of recipients, and is especially grateful to receive the gift of life. “I feel younger and more vibrant, so I’d tell my donor thank you for making my life better,” she reminisced. “Because I caught it early, I was able to avoid chemo,” she exclaimed.

"I’m grateful to my donor families for their generous gift of skin that helped me heal after a bilateral mastectomy. It allowed me to get back to a sense of normalcy and enjoy special moments with my family."

Today, Robin enjoys a life doing what she loves best—spending time with her husband, son and daughter, grandkids, and her European Golden Retriever.

10/06/2025

Mary Louis (Skin Graft Recipient)
Grateful for the Gift

It was an ordinary Friday afternoon when Mary, an energetic teacher in Houston, was wrapping up her workday. She straightened her room, erased the whiteboards, and then checked her email. To her surprise, she saw a stunning message from her physician: "The results from your biopsy are back and we are 80% sure that it is cancer," it read. The news was devastating. "What does this mean?"... "Are you sure this is my diagnosis?" she wondered. She spent the weekend in turmoil, thinking about what she had just read but unable to ask questions about her condition. None of this made sense. Mary runs marathons and practices yoga. She's vegan and eats a gluten-free diet. "It couldn't be me," she thought. Mary had always been a picture of health. In fact, cancer had never visited her family tree. Her life had been consumed with teaching students by day and by night. After years of saving, she was finally able to buy a cozy vacation home in the French countryside. How could cancer be touching her life, her body, especially now?!

The news became more devastating. Mary had triple negative breast cancer--the most aggressive type of breast cancer-- affecting mostly young, pre-menopausal minority women. Traditional treatments for this type of breast cancer are not effective. After visiting with an oncologist, Mary immediately began chemotherapy and subsequently chose to have bilateral mastectomy to avoid the possibility of cancer affecting the other breast. A few months later, she scheduled breast reconstruction surgery and decided to use donated skin graft for the procedure. Mary had learned from a cousin that using donated skin grafts was an option to improve the outcome of reconstruction and she believes her surgical results are excellent.

Gratitude is a word that comes to mind often to Mary. She's grateful for her new perspective on life, family, friends, and her donor gift that enabled Mary to feel whole again. "I've always been a donor. I registered a long time ago but feel honored to be part of the receiving end of this cycle of giving. I've always been a giver, but this has awakened me to a whole new level of gratitude for the generosity of such a gift". Today Mary enjoys running again, spending vacations at her countryside him in France, and speaking to small groups about her cancer journey.



Hear Mary's full story at this YouTube link, courtesy of MTF Biologics: https://youtu.be/Zcfc9aippRQ?si=Y85O4hXMWbnbm0w5

10/01/2025

BRA Day - Celebrating Breast Cancer Warriors!

Research shows that less than a quarter of women receive necessary information about their breast reconstructive options at the time of their mastectomy. BRA Day aims to change that.

United Tissue Resources supports the efforts of our partners at MTF Biologics in sharing information and celebrating breast cancer warriors.