Medical Conferences
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Pediatric Alliance
April 28 - 30, 2025
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SAWC- Spring
May 01 - 3, 2025
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American Cleft Palate Association (ACPA)
May 06 - 10, 2025
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SCALE Meeting
May 14 - 18, 2025
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Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons Meeting
May 15 - 17, 2025
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National Donate Life Month
Organ and Tissue Donors are Superstars
National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was established by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003. Celebrated in April each year, NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.
Did you know that April is one of the best times of the year to stargaze?
This April, we invite you to look up to the night sky and the billions of stars that make up the universe. Stars remind us that even in the darkest night, there is light.
Your decision to be an organ and tissue donor gives hope and light to the 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list who are waiting for a second chance at life. That’s why donors are superstars.
"Not only do we live among the stars, the stars live within us." - Neil deGrasse Tyson
Donate Life Month Resources & Materials
National Donate Life Living Donor Day
Donate Life Living Donor Day is a celebration during National Donate Life Month that honors living organ and tissue donors for saving and healing lives! In 2022, more than 6,500 people made the decision to give one of their kidneys or a part of their liver to someone waiting for a second chance at life.
Others gave the healing gift of birth tissue. Birth tissue includes tissues such as placenta and amniotic membrane. Grafts derived from birth tissue promote natural wound healing.
To learn more about birth tissue, please visit our Birth Tissue page.
"The opportunity to donate made this already special day more meaningful"
Although scheduled for a C-Section, Samantha was excited about the upcoming birth of her daughter Sephora. When the hospital told her she had the opportunity to donate her placenta after delivery, she jumped on the opportunity. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Samantha worked as a nurse for 10 years in the ICU and saw firsthand the benefit of organ and tissue donation.
“I always loved hearing the amazing stories of how donation had changed the life of someone” said Samantha, “And I honestly never knew I could donate my placenta and help someone who was really suffering from wounds that wouldn’t heal or burns.”
“The placenta donation team explained everything, and it was so easy, I knew I wanted to make this a part of my birth experience. I love knowing that I have helped others and that’s what made me want to donate again, when my son was born.”
Samantha hopes others will want to participate in placenta donation and take part in contributing in such a beautiful way.
National Donate Blue and Green Day
The first National Donate Life Blue and Green Day was held in April 2012 in support of organ, eye and tissue donation and in celebration of National Donate Life Month. During this day, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green, share and celebrate on social media, hold events and fundraisers, and partner with local businesses and community organizations in an effort to bring attention to organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation and encourage the public to register as donors.
Blue and Green Contest
Join our Blue & Green Day Contest by sending in your best BUE AND GREEN photos to celebrate. Submit your photos through April 26th. Winners will be announced May 3rd.
National Pediatric Transplant Week - April 21 - 27th
The first National Pediatric Transplant Week took place in 2018. This week focuses on the powerful message of ending the pediatric transplant waiting list. Throughout the week, we will share stories of children whose lives are saved and healed through tissue donation.
Meet our incredible kids, tissue transplant superheroes wielding the power of resilience and determination! With each transplant, they don their capes of courage, facing challenges head-on with unwavering strength. Their journey is a testament to the extraordinary bravery that lies within each of them, inspiring us all to believe in the magic of possibility and the triumph of the human spirit
Kids Transplant Heroes!
Alyssa Silva
At age sixteen, Alyssa Silva is like any other teen: she loves going to school, playing sports, and keeping up with her farm animals and younger siblings around the house. However, Alyssa's active lifestyle was threatened when her father's welding machine fell off a trailer while she was standing next to it, striking her ankle. Alyssa went to the hospital with a traumatic injury to her ankle and foot. While x-rays revealed that a nearby two-by-four had miraculously prevented Alyssa from breaking any bones or losing her foot entirely, the resulting scrape on her foot would worsen with time. "It was a very terrifying moment because we didn't know what to expect," Yeraldit, Alyssa's mother, said. "Then, a few days later, her foot started getting very red. It looked like an infection, and it had an unpleasant odor. So, we thought something was not right."
The following trips to the hospital revealed that Alyssa had an infected non-healing wound that was causing her severe pain and turning black. This prevented her from doing the things she loved like playing basketball, running cross-country or looking after her siblings. To save her foot, Dr Rene Amaya, a pediatric infectious disease and wound care specialist, explained that they would need to remove the dead tissue, negative pressure to the wound and administer a donor skin graft. Alyssa and her family were unfamiliar with tissue donation, but Dr. Amaya assured them of its' success.
In less than two months of receiving the skin graft, Alyssa, an aspiring veterinarian, was back on both feet and is now looking forward to showcasing her animals at the upcoming Texas rodeo. Thanks to her donor and the excellent medical care received, she returns to her life as a big sister, a sports enthusiast, and high school student. She is walking normally and has a full range of motion in her foot and ankle.
Alyssa and her family are grateful for the gift of donation and show great respect for those involved in the process. "I’m very pleased with how things turned out,” Alyssa exclaimed. “We’re blessed to have been able to save her foot,” her mother added. “It’s something that we’ll never forget and is now a part of our lives. If anyone would ever need tissue, I would want to help them, just like someone gave to help my daughter.”
Video Stories
Watch these inspiring and motivational stories!
AG Bartel's Story
Chase's Story
Matt's Donor Story
Naomi's Story
For video file requests, please contact Lauralee_Brown@mtf.org.
National Donor Remembrance Day – April 30th
April 30 is National Donor Remembrance Day, a day to come together to honor and celebrate our Donor Superheroes who have given the gift of life through organ, tissue, and eye donation. Join us in planting a forget-me-not flower to symbolize that these heroes and their gifts will always be remembered. Please contact Christine_Jenkins@mtf.org to request a forget me not flower to plant in remembrance of your cherished donor.
Remembering Our Donor Heroes
The miracle of transplantation begins with a gift - the gift of organ, tissue, and eye donation. Our Tribute Wall honors the donor heroes who make transplantation possible. Donor families and supporters can honor a donor by sharing an online tribute of their loved one.
Tribute Wall
Each hero's story is unique. Just like the forget-me-not flowers, their memories will be planted in our hearts forever. We remember them. Learn more about remembering our donor heroes.
Alyssa Silva
At age sixteen, Alyssa Silva is like any other teen: she loves going to school, playing sports, and keeping up with her farm animals and younger siblings around the house. However, Alyssa's active lifestyle was threatened when her father's welding machine fell off a trailer while she was standing next to it, striking her ankle. Alyssa went to the hospital with a traumatic injury to her ankle and foot. While x-rays revealed that a nearby two-by-four had miraculously prevented Alyssa from breaking any bones or losing her foot entirely, the resulting scrape on her foot would worsen with time. "It was a very terrifying moment because we didn't know what to expect," Yeraldit, Alyssa's mother, said. "Then, a few days later, her foot started getting very red. It looked like an infection, and it had an unpleasant odor. So, we thought something was not right."
The following trips to the hospital revealed that Alyssa had an infected non-healing wound that was causing her severe pain and turning black. This prevented her from doing the things she loved like playing basketball, running cross-country or looking after her siblings. To save her foot, Dr Rene Amaya, a pediatric infectious disease and wound care specialist, explained that they would need to remove the dead tissue, negative pressure to the wound and administer a donor skin graft. Alyssa and her family were unfamiliar with tissue donation, but Dr. Amaya assured them of its' success.
In less than two months of receiving the skin graft, Alyssa, an aspiring veterinarian, was back on both feet and is now looking forward to showcasing her animals at the upcoming Texas rodeo. Thanks to her donor and the excellent medical care received, she returns to her life as a big sister, a sports enthusiast, and high school student. She is walking normally and has a full range of motion in her foot and ankle.
Alyssa and her family are grateful for the gift of donation and show great respect for those involved in the process. "I’m very pleased with how things turned out,” Alyssa exclaimed. “We’re blessed to have been able to save her foot,” her mother added. “It’s something that we’ll never forget and is now a part of our lives. If anyone would ever need tissue, I would want to help them, just like someone gave to help my daughter.”
Tribute Submissions
Alyssa Silva
At age sixteen, Alyssa Silva is like any other teen: she loves going to school, playing sports, and keeping up with her farm animals and younger siblings around the house. However, Alyssa's active lifestyle was threatened when her father's welding machine fell off a trailer while she was standing next to it, striking her ankle. Alyssa went to the hospital with a traumatic injury to her ankle and foot. While x-rays revealed that a nearby two-by-four had miraculously prevented Alyssa from breaking any bones or losing her foot entirely, the resulting scrape on her foot would worsen with time. "It was a very terrifying moment because we didn't know what to expect," Yeraldit, Alyssa's mother, said. "Then, a few days later, her foot started getting very red. It looked like an infection, and it had an unpleasant odor. So, we thought something was not right."
The following trips to the hospital revealed that Alyssa had an infected non-healing wound that was causing her severe pain and turning black. This prevented her from doing the things she loved like playing basketball, running cross-country or looking after her siblings. To save her foot, Dr Rene Amaya, a pediatric infectious disease and wound care specialist, explained that they would need to remove the dead tissue, negative pressure to the wound and administer a donor skin graft. Alyssa and her family were unfamiliar with tissue donation, but Dr. Amaya assured them of its' success.
In less than two months of receiving the skin graft, Alyssa, an aspiring veterinarian, was back on both feet and is now looking forward to showcasing her animals at the upcoming Texas rodeo. Thanks to her donor and the excellent medical care received, she returns to her life as a big sister, a sports enthusiast, and high school student. She is walking normally and has a full range of motion in her foot and ankle.
Alyssa and her family are grateful for the gift of donation and show great respect for those involved in the process. "I’m very pleased with how things turned out,” Alyssa exclaimed. “We’re blessed to have been able to save her foot,” her mother added. “It’s something that we’ll never forget and is now a part of our lives. If anyone would ever need tissue, I would want to help them, just like someone gave to help my daughter.”
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