Legacy of Hope

Organ and Tissue Donation Legacy of Hope is the federally designated organ procurement organization for the state of Alabama.

12/15/2025

Looking for ways to get involved with Legacy of Hope? Join our team of passionate ambassadors!

12/15/2025

"Organ donors are true heroes. I am a liver recipient, and I’m deeply grateful for those who choose to be donors.

My battle began in August 2023, when I became extremely sick. From September through April 2024, there wasn’t a single month I wasn’t hospitalized. I would have died — my MELD score was 38 upon admission. I’m grateful, thankful and blessed. Since my transplant, I’ve had no complications and I’m doing great. Thank you again, organ donors!"

—Tiffany

12/14/2025

Wishing you all light and good health this holiday season. May your Hanukkah shine bright with happiness and peace.

12/13/2025

"My husband David was a Vietnam veteran who served from 1967 to 1968. He survived the fighting only to bring home diseases that would later kill him.

David was a state trooper and had not been feeling well for a few months when we finally found a doctor who told us he was going into kidney failure. It took almost a year for him to need dialysis, and since we lived so far from a hospital, I put him on dialysis three times a week for a year. He continued to work even when he was exhausted.

He took the tests to see what kind of donor he would need if he decided to go that way, and no one in the family matched. In December, he worked an accident on a very snowy day where a young woman lost her life. He came home that night, I believe it was the 14th, and told me to call the hospital and get him put on the list for a kidney. I did that, and we waited. A call came in on December 24 saying they had a very good match for him and asking if we could get to the hospital as soon as possible.

We called his parents; they came and got the kids and the presents to take them to their home. We got to the hospital and started this amazing journey. At the hospital, while we were so thankful, I realized another family had said goodbye to their daughter, and it really affected us as a family. She was always honored in our house.

Everything went well with the surgery, with just one bout of rejection in April that they got under control. David protected his kidney because he knew the sacrifice the other family had to go through. In 1980, they did not tell you much about the person who gave the kidney, and I wish I could tell them that when he passed in 2014 that kidney was still working. What they did changed our lives and gave my family a second chance at being normal, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. God bless every donor and the families."

—Susan

12/12/2025

"To my husband, my lifesaver, hero, my answered prayer, thank you for saying 'yes.' You gave me the gift of life twice: once when you became my husband, and again when you became my donor. I can never thank you enough. I’m so proud of you and thankful for you forever. I love you more than words could ever describe. First, you gave me your heart, then you turned around and gave me your left kidney. Now, that’s what I call true love!" 💙💚

Kamri received a kidney from her husband, Lotanna, and shared their donation story with us.

In 2022, what I thought would be a quick urgent care visit turned into a life-changing moment. A doctor looked at me and said, “You’re not going home. You need to go to the ER.” My labs were dangerously off, and that day marked the beginning of a journey I never expected to take.

Fast forward through doctor visits, medications and endless prayers... By 2023, my kidney function had dropped to 32%. I tried to keep pushing, even as my body grew weaker, my feet swelled and the fatigue became unbearable. By the time of our wedding in 2024, while it was the happiest day of my life, my body was silently fighting its hardest battle. Behind my smile was extreme pain, swelling and exhaustion. Just weeks later, I learned my kidney function had fallen to 4%. I cried harder than I ever had before.

In August 2024, I began dialysis: four hours per treatment, three days a week. When my husband told me he was filling out the form to be a potential living donor, I will never forget what he said: “God has given me a feeling that I’m supposed to be the one to do this for you.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at 8 a.m., our lives changed forever. My husband donated his left kidney to me, and it started working immediately. This journey has been filled with lessons in faith, surrender and unconditional love. What could’ve been a story of despair became a testimony of God’s power, timing and the beauty of love in action. We’re walking into this new chapter grateful, blessed and stronger than ever. We’re both healing very well and on the road to a full recovery.

Story via Donate Life America

12/11/2025

"I have had two cornea transplants. I would be totally blind without them.

I had Fuchs corneal dystrophy and also have macular degeneration. I received my implants 16 and 14 years ago. I was able to send thank-you notes to both families of my donors. I think of my donors every day and bless them for their gifts. When I travel, I tell them where we are and again thank them for letting me see this beautiful new place.

Remember, when you are donating organs, corneas can be used even when you are older. So sign that donor card — you never know what else someone might need."

—Penny

12/09/2025

"I just had a cornea transplant. I see great now! I thank God for organ donors."

—Karie

12/07/2025

“My son Shane passed and was an organ donor. Shane was the life of the party. The laughter in every room. The love that never ends. Everyone who met Shane loved him. He made people smile and feel seen.

He was my first baby — my heart — and I miss him more than words can say.
When I learned he had chosen to be an organ donor, I felt both broken and proud. That was Shane — always giving, always loving.

Because of him, at least two people live on. His kindness continues through them.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18
Forever my son.
Forever loved.
Forever missed.
If you’d like to honor Shane’s memory,
please consider becoming an organ donor.
That’s what Shane would have done.

Please also keep my dear friend Tony in your prayers — he is in need of a kidney transplant.

If you or someone you know would consider becoming a donor, it could mean the world to him and his family.”

—Paula

12/06/2025

“Have the conversation. The only reason why conversations about organ donation are uncomfortable is because we don’t talk about it.

Our story starts when my son Rocky was involved in a motorcycle accident. He was 22 years old and full of life. He loved to ride, hunt, fish and had recently become a father. Rocky’s biggest belief was there are two days we have no control over in life: when we are born and when we die. He always said, ‘It’s what we do in the dash that counts.’

The night I got that call, I rushed to the scene only to be told he was transported to the hospital. When the doctor finally came to talk with me, he sat knee to knee with me and told me my son suffered a brain injury and they weren’t going to be able to save him.

In three days, I was educated enough to say yes because Rocky was all about helping those in need during his short 22 years of life. What we could not do for him that day, he alone did for so many going forward. He was able to leave a legacy for his 8-month-old daughter Monique, in knowing as she grew up that her dad was a hero to so many.

Part of my grieving process was to learn more about organ donation, and what we just went through in three days changed my life forever in burying my son. I started telling my story to whoever wanted to know, talking about the challenges for organ donor families, the process, and the new pathway through grief. I took it further and got involved nationally with recipients, learning more about their process of receiving the gift of life and their struggles.

Take that first step and have a conversation with another donor family, recipient — it does not need to be your loved one’s recipient — and start a conversation. I believe it will make a difference, especially if you are questioning the decisions you or your loved one have made. It certainly has made a difference for me and my journey in grief.

—Kelly

12/04/2025

"My 31-year-old daughter, Brittany, died Oct. 13, 2014. She was an organ donor and saved a young girl with her liver. For years, I didn’t hear from anyone, but one night six years ago, this young girl reached out to me in the early hours of the morning. I remember the tears; we chatted for hours, and I spoke with her mother the next day.

My daughter left behind five young children, and I found out they had been following me on Facebook and watching them grow. We haven’t met in person, but we are connected through Facebook and messages. I will always remember that night. Because of my daughter, she is living a full and beautiful life."

—Stephanie

12/03/2025

"I am the recipient of a double-lung transplant. I often send a prayer to my donor and his mother. They made the ultimate sacrifice and saved many lives. Thank you, organ donors!"

—Kathy

12/02/2025

This , give LIFE. Register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at LegacyofHope.org and share your wishes with your family and community 💙💚

Address

516 20th Street S
Birmingham, AL
35233

Telephone

+18002523677

Website

http://www.legacyofhope.org/

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