Stories of Hope

Our goal at Donate Life Northwest is to educate and encourage people to sign up on their state donor registry. Why? To offer hope to the parents of an 11-year-old boy given six months to live unless he receives a heart transplant. To give grieving families the knowledge their loved one left a selfless legacy. To join in celebration of lives saved and sight and mobility restored because a person's decision to donate was known and honored at their time of death. Because organ, eye and tissue donation is about one human being offering the gift of life to another. Submit Your Story

Loren Leighton

Loren's death was sudden and unexpected, but he lives on through his kidney and liver donations. His wife and daughters also continue to share his lifesaving legacy.

Luanne Tilson & Ashley Mayer

After Luanne's living kidney donation, she thought, "What can I do next?" And the answer was the Erase the Wait mentorship program -- where she met Ashley.

Luisa Serrano

Kidney recipient Luisa Serrano begins each day by giving thanks for her family and her health.

Lynda Myers

Every morning when I wake up, reach for my glasses and realize I don’t need them, I say a prayer of gratitude to the two people who have blessed me with the gift of sight.

Smiling woman with short grey hair, wearing sunglasses and and orange tshirt standing to the left of a white-haired man wearing sunglasses wearing a red tshirt

Lynn Beebe

Lynn received a second chance at life, and she’s using every second to honor her donor and share her story.

Smiling young Caucasian man with short dark hair wearing a Portland Trailblazers cap

Mackenzie Hoover

When Mackenzie was just 16, he decided to register as a donor. Almost 10 years later, a tragic accident and brain injury led to him giving the gifts of life and sight.

Smiling teen girl with long, curly dark hair

Mandi Christensen

Mandi only lived on this earth for 16 years, but her years were good years – years full of faith, hope, and love that she freely shared with everyone around her.

Maqsuda Kabir

Because of her hero donor, Maqsuda can breathe again, and be the wife, mother, and career woman she loves to be.

Kidney recipient Margaret Shortreed smiling at pink sheet of paper with little girl and boy

Margaret Shortreed

Margaret faced kidney disease and transplant, but she didn't face it alone. Her family, her Erase the Wait mentor, and her paired kidney exchange partner helped her through it.

Maria Fernanda Filizola

A longtime volunteer, Maria is passionate about sharing her experience, knowledge and strength with the Latino community – and she has a lot to offer.