Lifesharing

10/07/2025

Thank you NBC 7 San Diego for sharing the emotional story that took place at Lifesharing last week ~

Sgt. Matthew Lowenthal was in a motorcycle accident in 2019 while on his way to MCAS Miramar base and died on Oct. 15 — his 24th birthday.

10/03/2025

“MATTHEW LIVES!” – exclaimed Lifesharing Donor Mom Michelle Lowenthal (R) as she hugs Laura Gaytan, the patient who received her son’s kidney.    Six years ago, Michelle’s son – USMC SGT Matthew Lowenthal – died from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident.   Lifesharing worked with the transplant team at Sharp HealthCare to carry out the Marine’s final wishes as a registered organ donor.   Michelle and Laura met in person for the first time yesterday (Thursday Oct 2, 2025) at Lifesharing, in a meeting organized by Family Services Specialist Kylee Groon.   Both and covered the story – check out their websites to watch video of the emotional meeting.
Lifesharing and Sharp HealthCare hosted both women for a luncheon immediately following their meeting.    Attendees included Melanie B and Natalie G from Sharp HealthCare +  Lifesharing team members Patrick Balakian, Gwennie Mai, Matt Kidder, Michelle Tilley, Kylee Groon and Anne State.
Swipe left ⬅️ to view photos.
Lifesharing is proud to unite families through organ donation and transplantation.    For more information, go to our website at Lifesharing.org

09/30/2025

CONGRATS TO LIFESHARING VOLUNTEERS MARLON GARDINERA AND LEEANN PUSATERI — WINNERS OF OUR “GOLDEN MIC AWARD” 🎤 In the 2024-2025 school year, our volunteers educated 15K local students about organ donation. Volunteers LeeAnn Pusateri and Marlon Gardinera each spoke to 60 classes and educated 6K+ students! They have a friendly competition each year to see who can speak to the most classrooms 😄 We are so grateful to them for giving so much of their time to the cause… We thought it was appropriate to recognize them with the Golden Mic Awards. A heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers….

09/25/2025

🎥 NEW VIDEO - “THIS IS LIFESHARING” 💙💚 Every single day, we go to work with the intent of saving lives and bringing healing to the families of organ and tissue donors. Yesterday, Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser was asked to give a presentation at UC San Diego Health’s CEO Town Hall meeting. Chief Executive Officer Patty Maysent played this video right before Jeff’s talk. It’s a short film that shows some of the beautiful moments that we have witnessed through our work in the field of organ and tissue donation. Thank you to the leadership at UC San Diego Health for supporting our mission and giving us the opportunity to educate staff about the organ donation process.
Lifesharing is honored and privileged to serve donor families in San Diego and Imperial counties.
Our special thanks to the families of Lifesharing organ donors Jarrell David Dent and Leia Parker for letting us share their stories.
🎥: https://youtu.be/G_QUw3xgjZI
Video shot and edited by Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State.

Lifesharing is a nonprofit group that coordinates organ and tissue donation at the end of life. We are the federally-designated organ procurement organizat...

09/18/2025

🎥: NEW VIDEO — THE HEART” TOUCHES THE HEART ❤ Lifesharing was in the audience for a recent performance of "The Heart" at the La Jolla Playhouse. The musical shines a light on the emotional nature of the organ donation process and the amazing circle of life that happens when one person’s organ is passed to another through transplantation. Many people in the audience were moved to tears, including us.
After the show, Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser took to the stage for a Q&A session on organ donation as part of the “Discovery Sunday” series at the Playhouse. Lifesharing coordinates organ and tissue donation at the end of life - we are honored to serve families in San Diego and Imperial counties. Lifesharing volunteer and heart transplant Joe Wong attended the show with us and briefly shared his story at the theatre, too.
Thank you to "The Heart" and the La Jolla Playhouse for bringing attention to the importance of organ donation in such a beautiful and meaningful way.
Speakers in order of appearance:
-Joe Wong, Lifesharing volunteer and heart recipient
-Jeff Trageser, Lifesharing Executive Director -Bridget Cavaiola Stone, Director of Learning and Engagement, La Jolla Playhouse
Photos of “The Heart” courtesy of Becky Biegelson, Public Relations Director for the La Jolla Playhouse
Video shot and edited by Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State

“THE HEART” TOUCHES THE HEART ❤ Lifesharing was in the audience for a recent performance of "The Heart" at the La Jolla Playhouse. The musical shines a li...

09/15/2025

HONORING THE PAST, INSPIRING THE FUTURE…. Today we celebrate the start of Hispanic Heritage Month 2025.
Thank you to our friends at .info for creating this graphic.

09/12/2025

THE THANK YOU TOUR: Lifesharing’s transplant recipient volunteers Armando Hernandez and Joe Wong traveled to DMV offices in Chula Vista and Clairemont, respectively, to share their stories and express their gratitude to the men and women who have helped register millions of organ and tissue donors statewide. September is National DMV Appreciation Month. Thank you, 💙💚
For more information on registering as a donor in California, go to our website: https://www.lifesharing.org/become-a-donor/
Photos: Courtesy of Lifesharing Hospital Analyst Jean Moneda, who helps coordinate our volunteer outreach program under the leadership of Lifesharing Director of Donor Development and Strategic Partnerships Samantha Blaz.

08/20/2025

Our Executive Director Jeff Trageser is recognized again for his role at the national level…. PROUD MOMENT FOR US!

AOPO President’s Address: Meet the Moment Aug 20, 2025 | 50K Organ Transplants Campaign, Achievement, AOPO, Leadership AOPO President’s Address: Meet the Moment With gratitude, a powerful call to action, and a vision for the future, Jeff Trageser stepped into his role as AOPO President at the 20...

08/15/2025

SHOWING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE 1st PLACE SAN DIEGO PADRES on this Casual Friday! Lifesharing Family Services Director Wendy Garrison and Executive Director Jeff Trageser are sporting their baseball jerseys in honor of the team that’s been our longtime partner in promoting organ and tissue donation. Petco Park has played host to many “Donate Life Nights” in the past and we’ll be rooting for the Friars as they prepare to take on the Dodgers in LA. As you no doubt have heard, the Padres are now in first place in the National League West.

08/11/2025

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL... THANKS TO AN ORGAN DONOR 💙💚 Students at returned to class today and we thought we’d take this opportunity to reshare one of our posts from 2019. The post celebrated the first day of school for kidney recipient Xavier McLeod. On that day six years ago, Xavier’s mom - Valerie James - wrote a beautiful tribute to the Lifesharing organ donor who saved her son’s life, Sam McCrow. Valerie wrote: “Can’t believe I have a 10th grader!! As I laid hands on him this morning and prayed for this school year and the teachers, I couldn’t forget to thank Sam and his family for Xavier’s second chance at life. Without his kidney transplant at the age of three, our lives could have been quite different. Because of organ donation we get to experience another first day of school! Love you Sam” 💙💚
Just a couple of years after that post, Xavier graduated from Mt. Miguel High School and got his first big job. In 2023, he rode the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float in celebration of organ donation and transplantation.
Thank you, Xavier and Valerie, for letting us share your story!
chance

08/07/2025

THIS IS IMPORTANT…. August is National Multicultural Donor Awareness Month. California has more people on the transplant waiting list than any other state. The vast majority of these patients — 81% — are from multicultural communities. (Latino patients alone account for almost 50% of the waitlist in California.) For some of these patients, the best organ match will come from a donor who shares the same ethnicity.
A more diverse donor registry can potentially help us save even more lives.
For more info on how to register as an organ and tissue donor in California: https://www.lifesharing.org/become-a-donor/
Lifesharing is the organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California; We coordinate organ and tissue donation at the end of life.
Lifesharing follows strict rules and regulations that govern the recovery of organs from deceased donors. Organ recovery cannot take place until all lifesaving measures have been exhausted and the hospital has declared death for the patient.

07/11/2025

IT’S OFFICIAL! Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser is formally announced as President of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations - AOPO. He will continue to lead Lifesharing as he embarks on this new national role. CONGRATS, JEFF!

AOPO Introduces 2025-26 President and Newly Elected Board Leadership Jul 10, 2025 | Achievement, AOPO, Healthcare Industry, Leadership, News, OPO, Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact Information:Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org AOPO Introduces 2025-26 President and Newly Elected Board Leadersh...