Tennessee Donor Services

08/20/2025

We were honored to be a part of the Chattanooga Baptist & Missionary Association's Annual Conference this week!

We had a great panel discussion moderated by The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor Stacy Lightfoot.

Our panel was made up of several Donate Life Ambassadors, including:

💙Lydia Murphy, donor mother
💚Adam Cowan, kidney recipient
💙Letitia Judkins-Davis, Lead Chaplain for Parkridge Medical Center
💚Dawn Benjamin, TDS Sr. External Affairs Coordinator

Special thanks to New United Health and Wellness Ministry for including organ and tissue donation as part of their commitment to creating a healthier community!

Don't wait to save lives. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/20/2025

Donor Heroes make the selfless decision to be a light of hope and healing to those waiting for lifesaving transplants every day.

We are honored to celebrate their heroic legacies.

Donor Tribute: James Moorman

"James lived his life full of passion, joy and a huge heart. He stood up to bullies in school and in his community, despite (or because of) being a frequent target of bullies himself. He gave his last gift less than a month after his 15th birthday: his organs. He left behind his parents, his 2 older siblings, his twin nephews, his aunts, uncles and cousins who all loved him dearly and miss him daily. He also left behind a legacy of giving, a challenge to better understand autism and a world that didn’t fully appreciate the value of people who see the world differently."

Give the gift of life. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/19/2025

Adam Cowan spent nine years on dialysis before receiving his lifesaving kidney transplant.

On this segment of Connections, Adam joins us to share how he uses his transplant experience to advocate for dialysis patients and encourage others to register to be organ, eye and tissue donors.

This episode of Connections is also available on your favorite podcast platforms!

08/19/2025

Don't wait to pre-purchase your Donate Life Tennessee license plate! 💙💚🚗

We need your help to reach 1,000 pre-orders before the plates can go into production. Plates cost $35 + county fees (+$2 for online payments).

Pre-registrations, such as filling out the interest form last year, do NOT count towards the 1,000 sales. You MUST pre-purchase your plate to contribute to the production goal.

Help save lives one mile at a time. Pre-order your license plate at https://tennesseedonor.org/get-involved/donate-life-tn-license-plate/

08/19/2025

eye donation can restore sight to people of all ages and backgrounds?

Since 1961, more than 2,000,000 men, women and children worldwide have had their sight restored through corneal transplantation!

Give the gift of sight. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/18/2025

Donate Life Ambassador Andrea Davis recently shared her donation journey during last week's New Employee Onboarding at Tennessee Donor Services, helping highlight the importance of ambassadorship and community outreach. 💙💚

Participants later divided into groups to brainstorm strategies for their communities, social media and youth engagement and took the Challenge to see how individual action can spark widespread impact.

With their combined social media reach, these teams have the potential to share the Donate Life mission with nearly 400,000 people!

Start saving lives today. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/18/2025

Adam Cowan spent nine years on dialysis before receiving his lifesaving kidney transplant.

On this segment of Connections, Adam joins us to share how he uses his transplant experience to advocate for dialysis patients and encourage others to register to be organ, eye and tissue donors.

Don't miss this episode of Connections on Tuesday, August 19th, at 7 PM ET/6 PM CT on our page and on your favorite podcast platforms!

08/18/2025

When 9-year-old Jessie was in elementary school, she would keep her desk filled with pens, markers and other school supplies to give to students who needed them.

She never wanted her classmates to be without the tools they needed to thrive.

But during spring break in 2008, Jessie experienced a brain aneurysm that left her without brain activity. Her parents, Lisa and Robert, made the selfless decision to let Jessie's caring and giving spirit live on as an organ donor.

Through her gifts, Jessie saved seven lives - some of whom continue to be in contact with Lisa and Robert. 💙💚

Donation keeps our legacies alive. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/15/2025

Last week, our Ambassador Education Task Force members met in Nashville to dive into new classroom content creation, activation strategies and Q&A to prepare for the year ahead! ✏️

Our team – made up of educators, retired educators, former youth coaches and student education outreach advocates – is dedicated to fostering authentic conversations about the lifesaving impact of organ, eye and tissue donation and empowering students to become advocates in their communities.

Teachers: We’d love to bring an engaging, age-appropriate Donate Life Tennessee presentation to your students!

Request a classroom visit at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchsXMvJyiD2lCWZzmKx_puCp5I2RYo8Yn851ahuPRONod8bg/viewform

📷 L-R: Bonnie Chakravorty, Lourdes Matamoros, Christian Scherba, Andrea Davis, Lisa Boullt, Travis Marcus, Shauna Dahl, External Affairs Coordinator Trisha Lopez, Harry Dillon and Sandra Sanders

08/15/2025

Newsweek's recent article, “Seeing Growing Exodus, State Organ Donor Registries Urge ‘Perspective’,” reports on a troubling trend: more people are removing themselves from organ donor registries across the country.

Every 8 to 10 minutes, someone new is added to the national transplant waiting list. With only 1% of deaths in the U.S. allowing for organ donation, every registration is powerful. One donor can give the gift of life to many.

When considering the decision to become a registered organ donor, we encourage you to research the facts to understand the process, talk with your family members and make an informed decision.

Get in touch with us to learn more about how we affirm and champion our patients, donors and donor families to safely and effectively save lives.

Read the full article at https://www.newsweek.com/organ-donor-registries-exodus-new-york-times-reporting-2112030

Thousands of people have removed themselves from organ donor registries in several states following reporting by the New York Times, Newsweek has learned.

08/15/2025

Mark your calendars - our upcoming Ambassadors Activate session is next Wednesday, August 20, at 7:00 P.M. CST! 💙💚

Join fellow Donate Life Tennessee Ambassadors as we brainstorm new ways to promote donation, detail upcoming volunteer opportunities and spend time connecting with one another!

Reserve your spot today by emailing TDS External Affairs Coordinator Trisha Lopez at Trisha.Lopez@dcids.org.

We hope to see you there!

08/15/2025

Rev. Letitia Judkins-Davis offers comfort and care to families as the Lead Chaplain at Parkridge Medical Center.

But she also shares a strong belief in the generosity and selflessness that comes with being a donor hero.

We could not be more grateful for her support of our mission and her advocacy as a donation champion!

"Throughout our journey of life, we are regularly giving expressions of our love to others. Why not, if possible, allow your last expression of love be that of extending life for others through your gift of organ donation." ~Rev. Letitia Judkins-Davis

Give the gift of love to others. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.