HonorBridge

09/12/2025

🕊️ Register Now: Donor Family Tribute | October 12, 2025 💚
We invite you to join us—in person or virtually—on Sunday, October 12 from 1–5 PM for our annual Donor Family Tribute. This special drop-in event is a time to reflect, remember, and celebrate the incredible gifts of life made by our donor heroes.

💚 Activities will include:
🧵 Viewing of donor quilts
🎨 Memory-making crafts
🧘 Mindfulness activities
💬 Story sharing
🤝 Info about the HonorBridge Advocates Program
Whether you attend online or in person, this is a meaningful opportunity to honor your loved one in a space filled with compassion and community.

🔗Reserve your spot today: https://honorbridge.org/resources/register-for-the-donor-family-tribute/

09/08/2025

🫶Terry Hall’s journey with organ donation is deeply connected to the HonorBridge family.

💙His first kidney came from Jim Hill, a registered donor whose wife, Jan Frye Hill, went on to serve as a dedicated HonorBridge volunteer and board member.
💚Years later, when Terry needed another transplant, Julie Landon, an HonorBridge employee and close friend of Terry’s wife, selflessly became his living donor.
🌟And today, Terry’s daughter, Katie Joyce, proudly carries the mission forward as part of the HonorBridge team.

🔗Watch Terry’s inspiring story here: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/everyday-hero/2025/08/07/kidney-transplants-save-the-life-of-north-carolina-dad

09/06/2025

💚 A Second Chance, One Heartbeat at a Time

🎁After years of living with atrial fibrillation and heart failure, Bob could barely walk a block or catch his breath. On December 20, 2022, everything changed—Bob received the gift of a lifetime: a new heart.

🗣️“I’m a whole new man now,” Bob says. “It’s eye-opening to know that I’m living on time I shouldn’t have had. I should have been gone by now.”

💟Now Bob is "Grandbob" to six grandkids, making memories he never thought he’d see—and honoring the donor who made it all possible. This Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, we’re sharing Bob’s incredible story to remind you: one “yes” to organ donation can rewrite someone’s future.

🔗Read his full story here: https://honorbridge.org/stories-of-hope/a-new-heart-a-new-life-bob-curlees-transplant-journey/

09/05/2025

⛳ A Mother’s Mission: Turning Personal Loss Into Lifesaving Purpose
As we celebrate 40 years of saving and healing lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation, we are proud to share the story of Sheila, a true champion for donor education.

🫶After donating a kidney to her son Jim in 1997, Sheila and Jim turned their gratitude into action—founding the Pitt Charity Golf Tournament to raise awareness and funds for organ donation. Since 2007, every dollar raised has supported donor education through HonorBridge. Jim passed away in 2023, on the very morning of the 20th Pitt Tournament—but his legacy lives on through this beloved event and the lives he touched.

💙💚 “Even after I’m long gone,” said Sheila, “The Pitt will still be going. That’s my hope.” ⛳Join us in honoring Sheila’s remarkable story!

🔗Read more: https://honorbridge.org/blog-featured/honorbridge-celebrates-40-a-familys-force-for-good

09/04/2025

💙 More than 4,000 people in North Carolina are still waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Thanks to the generosity of one donor, Freddy Simpson, at least three of those lives will now be saved.
Freddy’s daughter, Emma, shared her family’s story with WECT News, alongside HonorBridge’s own Family Support Coordinator, Madison Cowoski.
“In the darkest moments, donation can be the light that saves other people,” Madison said.
Watch the full story from WECT here 👉

4,000 people are still waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in North Carolina alone.

09/03/2025

🚗 September is National DMV Appreciation Month! 💚
We’re sending a big THANK YOU to our DMV partners who make it easy for North Carolinians to say “YES” to saving lives every day.
Did you know? You don’t have to wait in line to make a lifesaving decision. You can:
✅ Renew your license online at the NC DMV and sign up as an organ, eye, and tissue donor
OR
✅ Skip the DMV altogether and sign up now at HonorBridge.org
It only takes a minute—and it could save up to 8 lives and heal 75 more.

09/01/2025

🛠️ This Labor Day, we celebrate the work that truly changes lives. 🫶
While many take the day to rest, we’re reminded of the donors who gave the ultimate gift — and the transplant teams, coordinators, hospital partners, and funeral directors who work tirelessly to honor that gift every day. 💙💚 Organ, eye, and tissue donation is a different kind of labor — one rooted in compassion, generosity, and hope.

This Labor Day, consider signing up as an organ donor. It’s one decision that can do a lifetime of good. ✅ Sign up as a donor here: https://bit.ly/signuptoDONATE

08/29/2025

🫀 From Physician to Patient: Dr. Chris Lacroix’s Journey to a New Heart 🫀
When COVID-19 shut down the world in 2020, Dr. Chris Lacroix—a primary care physician in Greenville, NC—went from treating patients to fighting for his life in just six months.
After a long road, Dr. Lacroix became the first known amyloidosis patient to receive a heart transplant at UNC-Chapel Hill.
💚 His donor gave him more than a second chance—they gave him the ability to walk, work, and watch his son’s baseball games again.
Now, nearly four years post-transplant, Dr. Lacroix is back to caring for patients—with a deeper empathy and a “Jaguar for a heart.”
📝 “To be a part of something greater than yourself is the ultimate sacrifice,” he says. “I owe my donor a great deal of gratitude and respect.”
Read his story here: https://honorbridge.org/stories-of-hope/dr-chris-lacroix-a-new-heart-a-renewed-purpose/

08/25/2025

🌍 Celebrating Leadership & Legacy on Women’s Equality Day 🌍
Today, we proudly recognize Danielle Bumarch, RN, JD, President & CEO of HonorBridge, for her unwavering commitment to saving lives and advancing healthcare equity.
From her early service as a nurse in the U.S. Air Force to her current role leading North Carolina’s largest organ procurement organization, Danielle’s vision continues to shape national policy and inspire a culture of compassion, innovation, and inclusion.
💚 In honor of Danielle and the countless women leading change in healthcare, we invite you to support our mission.
🔗 Make a gift at HonorBridge.org/donate

08/23/2025

💚 Sign Up as an Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donor Today 💚
It’s quick and easy to sign up—and you can do it right from your phone or online:
📱 On your iPhone:
Open the Health app, tap your profile picture, go to Medical ID, and scroll to sign up as an organ donor.
🌐 Online at HonorBridge.org:
Visit the site and sign up to help save and heal lives.
One small step can make a life-changing difference.

08/21/2025

💫Turning Loss Into Lifeline: The Heartfelt Story of Organ Donation as a Final Act of Love

“‘In the midst of grief, knowing that a part of my loved one lives on to help others is a deep sense of comfort and meaning.’ Reflecting on Tyrisha Berry’s powerful words following her father, Tyrone Berry’s organ donation, this incredible story by Freda Freeman reminds us that signing up as a donor isn’t just checking a box—it’s a profound act of love that can bring hope out of loss. Read more about how Berry became the first Black organ donor in 90 years at his local hospital, and how initiatives like National Minority Donor Awareness Month are bridging gaps for communities still waiting. Join the conversation: let’s make that heart on your driver’s license mean something.💚💙 ”

The Triangle Tribune is a newspaper serving the black communities in the Durham, Raleigh Cary and Chapel Hill