Lifesharing

02/25/2026

THE OWNER OF 2 SAN DIEGO EVERBOWL RESTAURANTS — and .scripps.ranch — stopped by our office this week to feed us breakfast.  Justin Nocella, pictured here with Lifesharing Organ Family Services Supervisor Melissa Culver, wanted to personally thank us for our work in the field of organ donation.   Justin told us that someone very dear to him received a transplant many years ago…. and he just wanted to show his gratitude.

Needless to say, this made our whole week….  Thank you, Justin!

02/25/2026

Thank you 10News – ABC San Diego KGTV for the beautiful story on our Family Services team…

LifeSharing details the emotional journey when a patient's life can not be saved. Before an organ donation can save another life, there’s an in-between moment, one that begins with loss.

02/06/2026

TACKLING THE WAITING LIST IN WASHINGTON, D.C. — This weekend, the nation’s sports fans will be focused on the Super Bowl, which is taking place at Levi Stadium in the Bay Area.   When you watch the game, think about this:  the 68,500 seats at Levi would not hold all the patients who are currently on the transplant waiting list in the U.S.   (In fact, there are 100,000+ people who need a lifesaving organ.)   Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser — 2nd from left  — traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to help advocate for those patients.  In this photo, Jeff and his colleagues are seen here with Dr. Mehmet Oz (center), Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).   CMS plays an important role in the nation’s organ donation system by overseeing donation groups such as Lifesharing.   While in D.C., Jeff and his colleagues lent their voices to the conversation on how to strengthen the nation’s organ donation and transplantation system — a system which saves tens of thousands of lives each year.  
Jeff holds two prominent positions within the nation’s organ donation system: in addition to leading us at Lifesharing, he also serves as president of .

01/29/2026

LOOK FOR US ON THE NEWS THIS WEEKEND 🎥🎤🎬 Lifesharing Lead Family Services Specialist Vanessa Mazon (L) was recently interviewed by reporter (R) at our offices in Mission Valley.    Vanessa told Olivia how organ donation “gives a different ending to the story” - providing grieving families with a little bit of hope and light ✨ Vanessa also talked about the poignant tributes we give organ donors — and how music helps heal.
Thank you, Olivia, for shining a spotlight on our lifesaving mission.

01/16/2026

THANK YOU, SAN DIEGO:   2025 was a near-record year for organ donation in our region.    Last year, our community came together in an extraordinary way:  512 organs were transplanted from Lifesharing organ donors.  (Just two lifesaving gifts shy of our regional record of 514.)    Each organ was a gift from a person who had passed away.    And behind every one of these gifts was a family who - in a moment of profound loss - chose generosity and compassion.    Lifesharing coordinated donations from 154 organ donors and 507 tissue donors in 2025.    (Tissue includes skin, bones, tendons, heart valves, veins and corneas.  Corneas restore sight, skin can heal burn victims and tendons can rebuilt joints.)    Our organ and tissue teams work 24/7:  they coordinate donation at the end of life and make sure those organs and tissues get to patients in need.    On the organ side, our team helped transplant 236 kidneys, 114 livers, 86 lungs, 66 hearts, 9 pancreases and 1 intestine last year.    (Note:  we saw a 12% increase in the number of hearts transplanted.)
These milestones were made possible by the generosity of San Diegans and the help of our hospital and professional partners.    Together, we honor all the donors who gave others a second chance, and we hold deep gratitude for the families who made these decisions during the hardest moments imaginable. Their courage continues to ripple outward, touching lives, strengthening families, and inspiring hope across our region. 
Lifesharing is proud to serve San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California as the region’s organ procurement organization.

12/09/2025

🎥: “DURING HIS LAST BREATH, THE SONG 'SOULMATE' WAS PLAYING” — In an emotional speech, Dolores Williamson pays tribute to her late husband Dave Williamson, a Lifesharing organ and tissue donor. Speaking at our office in Mission Valley, Dolores explained how their love story began and why she never questioned her husband's decision to register as an organ and tissue donor. In 2023, Dave suffered a medical episode from which he could not recover (his brain had been robbed of oxygen for too long) and Dolores followed through on his final wish to donate organs and tissues at the end of life. Lifesharing coordinated Dave's donation, finding matching recipients for his heart, liver and kidneys. Dave saved four lives and donated tissues as well. Toward the end of the video, Dolores reads a portion of the beautiful letter she received from the wife of one of the transplant recipients.
This video was recorded in October 2024 when Dolores spoke to a group of Lifesharing volunteers, in a meeting organized by Lifesharing High School Outreach leader Christy Heymann. We thought it was appropriate to share the video in December, because many people consider this time to be “the season of giving”. Dave’s final act of kindness reminds us that the gift of life is truly the greatest gift anyone can give.
For more information on becoming an organ and tissue donor in California, go to our website: https://www.lifesharing.org/become-a-donor/ (https://www.lifesharing.org/become-a-donor/)
Video shot and edited by Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State
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.


🎥: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FIijFKcos7M

12/03/2025

🌟 SAVING EVEN MORE LIVES THROUGH INNOVATION 🌟 Did you know that most people on the transplant waiting list are waiting for a kidney? 🫁 That’s why our surgical services team is trained in advanced kidney preservation techniques — to help keep donated kidneys healthier for longer, giving transplant recipients a better chance at a longer life. Lifesharing organ procurement nurse Jordan Serati joined this week’s training as well. (She’s the one giving a thumbs-up for the camera.) Swipe ⬅️ left to see both photos of our team in action. The surgical services specialists featured in the group shot (L-R) are: Erin Bisceglia, Halie Peterson, Avi Madani and Aurora Gonzalez.
This kidney lab was organized by Lifesharing Surgical Services Supervisor Billy Snyder — he’s a big proponent of continuing education. He was also kind enough to take these photos for us 😊

11/25/2025

Beautiful news story on Lifesharing’s Organ Donor Honoree for the Rose Parade 🌹

Discover how Drew Wilson-Chan’s joyful spirit continues to unite and save lives. See the touching tribute at the 2026 Rose Parade.

11/24/2025

🎥 NEW VIDEO: 🌹LIFESHARING IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ITS ORGAN DONOR HONOREE FOR THE 2026 ROSE PARADE: Drew Wilson-Chan, 4, of Poway, California 🌹 His floral portrait will be featured on the OneLegacy as it glides down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day in Pasadena. Young Drew became a Lifesharing organ and tissue donor in 2022. His parents said “yes” to donation because they believe it’s what their son would have wanted: Drew was always helping others. As an organ donor, he saved three lives when Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart and both kidneys. His organ donation took place at Hospital. Drew also donated knee cartilage and one of his corneas.
Drew’s parents, David Wilson and Sabrina Chan, created their son’s floral portrait (floragraph) for the using organic materials such as seeds and coffee grounds. In this video, they describe Drew’s bright spirit and joyful nature... and how they tried to capture both in the portrait.
Lifesharing is the federally-designated organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California. We’re a proud sponsor of the OneLegacy Donate Life Float.
Video shot and edited by Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State.
Our endless gratitude to the Wilson-Chan family and all of our donor families in the San Diego region💙💚


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Lifesharing is a proud sponsor of the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade Float. Every year, we select one of our organ donor heroes to be posthumously hono...

11/11/2025

🎥 NEW VIDEO: MOTHER OF U.S. MARINE MEETS WOMAN WHO RECEIVED HER LATE SON’S KIDNEY: In honor of Veterans Day, we are releasing new video from an emotional family meeting we hosted several weeks ago: Michelle Lowenthal, mother of USMC SGT Matthew Lowenthal, met kidney recipient Laura Gaytan at our offices in Mission Valley. Michelle said that meeting Laura was “the completion of that last puzzle piece”. The two women cried and hugged as they shared their journeys of grief and hope -- together, they represent both sides of the organ donation and transplantation process.
USMC SGT Lowenthal was stationed at MCAS Miramar when he passed away in a motorcycle accident off base in 2019. SGT Lowenthal was a registered organ donor and Lifesharing carried out his final wish of wanting to help others; our organ team identified Laura as a match for one of Sgt Lowenthal's kidneys.
Lifesharing Family Services Specialist Kylee Groon organized the poignant meeting that united the two women, forever bonding them through the miracle of donation. Kylee also invited our colleagues from Sharp HealthCare — the hospital where Laura received her kidney transplant.
🎥 Video shot and edited by Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State
On this Veterans Day, we honor and thank all who have served 🇺🇸


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In honor of Veterans Day, we are releasing new video from an emotional family meeting we hosted several weeks ago: Michelle Lowenthal, mother of USMC SGT M...

10/31/2025

🎥 NEW VIDEO: HONORING OUR ORGAN AND TISSUE DONORS FOR DIA DE LOS MU***OS ~ Lifesharing is proud to unveil its ofrenda (altar) for Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead), featuring the photos of many of the organ donors who helped us save a record number of lives last year.
Lifesharing speakers in order of appearance:
Rosie Zavala
Billy Snyder
Kylee Groon
Video shot and edited by Anne State
Lifesharing's Día de los Mu***os event was spearheaded by Melissa Culver with assistance from our organ and tissue family services teams, as well as team members from other Lifesharing departments.

🎥:

Lifesharing is proud to unveil its ofrenda (altar) for Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead), featuring the photos of many of the organ donors who helped us s...

10/21/2025

🌸 THINK PINK: October may be ending soon, but the fight against breast cancer continues every single day.
Lifesharing Family Services Director Wendy Garrison (L) and .info President Ieesha Johnson (R) stood side by side at the annual meeting of the Association of American Tissue Banks (AATB) last week. Donated tissue plays a vital role in helping breast cancer patients recover after a mastectomy and reconstruction. Donated tissue improves healing.
Last year, Lifesharing recovered tissues from 470 selfless tissue donors in the San Diego region.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
AMAT = the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation. The group is dedicated to increasing organ and tissue donation among multicultural communities. We are proud to partner with them.