Wendy Remmers knows firsthand the life-changing impact of organ donation. As a double lung transplant recipient, she says, “Prior to my transplant surgery, I was on oxygen full-time and struggling just to walk down the grocery aisle. Being able to walk to and from the car without really having any kind of breathing issues is so great. I’m feeling very grateful for the lungs that I’ve received.”
Stories like Wendy’s are why organ, eye, and tissue donation are so vital. In 2024, Mid-America Transplant celebrated its 50th anniversary with a record-breaking year, marking the highest number of donated organs in its history. Thanks to the inspiring decisions of donor heroes and their families, 317 organ donors provided 891 lifesaving organs for transplant and 2,632 tissue donors improved the quality of life for more than 197,000 people.
“We are grateful to all the families who entrusted us with their loved one’s legacy and our employees, hospitals, and partners who make this work possible,” said Kevin Lee, president and CEO at Mid-America Transplant. “It is an honor and privilege to steward donor gifts and give others a second chance at life, which is why we will continue to innovate and improve how we work to make even more transplants possible in 2025.”
Improving capabilities means more lives saved
The remarkable increase in donations is due in part to innovative approaches and strong collaborations with hospital partners. One key advancement is allowing families to opt for donation after a declaration of circulatory death (DCD), significantly expanding the donor pool. DCD donors now make up half of all organ donors at Mid-America Transplant. Additionally, the use of normothermic profusion (NRP) technology, which circulates blood through organs before recovery, has enhanced both the quantity and quality of livers and kidneys available for transplant.
As a two-time winner of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Mid-America Transplant upholds innovation as a core organizational value, enabling the organization to advance their mission of saving more lives through excellence in organ and tissue donation.
“If you don’t innovate and have that mindset of ‘what if we do it this way?’ then you’re always committed to having the same results you had in the past. You’re never going to get better,” said Dr. Gary Marklin, M.D., Mid-America Transplant’s Chief Medical and Research Officer. “That mindset has been part of Mid-America for the last 20 years when we built the first recovery center – nobody else had done it and we took that risk. It’s just been part of our culture, and in the last 10 years it has really flourished.”
Organ donation nationwide also broke records in 2024
According to preliminary data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), more organ transplants occurred in the United States in 2024 than ever before.
In 2024, there were 48,149 transplants, marking a 3.3 percent increase from 2023 and a 23.3 percent rise over the past five years. These life-saving procedures were made possible by the generous contributions of 16,988 deceased donors and 7,030 living donors.
In 2024, a total of 41,119 transplants were made possible through deceased organ donation, marking the first time the threshold of 40,000 deceased donor transplants was surpassed. Deceased donor transplants have set new annual records for each of the past 12 years.
Living donors enabled an additional 7,030 transplants in 2024, marking the second-highest annual total, surpassed only by the record set in 2019.
Yolanda Jackson's story echoes the emotional impact of these donations. She didn’t fully understand organ donation until her sister’s untimely passing but found solace in knowing her sister was able to save lives through organ and tissue donation. “It helps to know my sister was able to save people's lives,” she shared. “It doesn't take away the pain, but it helps just knowing that she was able to stop a family from enduring the pain that we're feeling. Now organ donation is in my heart. I love it.”
Every person has the potential to save multiple lives by registering as an organ, tissue, and eye donor. The generosity of donors and their families touches the lives of thousands each year. By signing the donor registry, you can bring hope to patients and families waiting for a miracle.