National Burn Awareness Week (February 2–8, 2025) is an opportune moment to celebrate the vital work of professionals like Brittney, a tissue and ocular procurement coordinator (TOPC) at Mid-America Transplant. Without the help of life-saving skin grafts from tissue donors, many burn victims would not survive. Brittney's career journey is a testament to the incredible impact that dedication and passion for organ and tissue donation can have on patients’ lives.
Brittney’s healthcare career began as a surgical technologist, a path she discovered through a friend’s encouragement. At 19 years old, she enrolled in surgical tech school and quickly found her calling in the operating room. “I loved how fast-paced it was,” Brittney recalls. “You get exposure to all the different specialties of surgery, which is really, really cool.”
Her first role at a hospital exposed her to the unique challenges of working with burn patients, particularly pediatric cases. As part of the pediatric burn team, Brittney was often called to assist with these complex and emotionally charged cases. “Those experiences made a huge impact on me,” she says. “I didn’t realize at the time how much they would prepare me for my future role at Mid-America Transplant.”
In her next role, Brittney specialized in vascular and cardiothoracic surgery. There, she worked with grafts—some of which were recovered by Mid-America Transplant—and saw firsthand how these lifesaving materials could transform patients’ lives. “I worked with truly fantastic surgeons,” she says. “They could utilize a donated vein graft that restored blood flow to a person’s foot rather than possibly losing it altogether. It was really neat to be around.”
Through these experiences, Brittney was first exposed to the impact of organ, eye, and tissue donation. However, she has been an advocate of donation since she was a kid. “My parents were big believers in organ donation,” she recalls. “It was always explained to us how important it is to live your life to the absolute fullest and then give someone else the chance to do the same.”
Brittney’s interest in Mid-America Transplant was inspired by a colleague who spoke highly of the organization. Looking for a change that would allow her to balance work with family life, she applied—and has never looked back.
As a TOPC, Brittney now plays a critical role in recovering tissue grafts, which can help burn patients, vascular surgery patients, and many others. Her experience working with both recipients and donors gives her a unique perspective. “Having seen both sides makes it hit home in a way I hadn’t dreamed it could when I first started,” she explains. “I’ve seen skin grafts save someone’s life. I’ve seen us be able to give someone a last chance at dialysis access. That perspective makes the donation side of it much more beautiful because you get to see how it’s going to help somebody.”
The fast-paced environments Brittney worked in before Mid-America prepared her to be able to contribute right away. “Sometimes it can get a little chaotic with how quickly we have to move to recover a donor gift,” she says. “I came from a trauma background where the speed is move, move, move. It gave me an advantage because it wasn’t a shock whenever I had to move fast in critical situations.”
Given her early career experiences, Brittney holds a special place in her heart for burn patients. The American Burn Association commemorates National Burn Awareness Week every year during the first full week of February. This week is an opportunity for safety educators to share burn awareness and prevention messages with their communities.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says over 398,000 individuals seek medical care for burns each year, with children under five twice as likely to visit an emergency department for injuries. Brittney says that skin grafts are critical for pediatric burn patients because they are much more unstable. “Children, especially babies, struggle to regulate their temperature,” she explains. “We’d use skin grafts to help babies born with conditions like gastroschisis, where their abdominal contents are outside their bodies. Those grafts could stabilize them enough to close the abdomen and save their life.”
While organ donations regularly make “news” for their ability to keep someone alive, Brittney says the impact tissue donations have on burn victims cannot be understated. “Your skin is the biggest barrier to infection,” she explains. “If someone has 50% or more of their body burned, their exposure to infection is that much higher. The skin grafts are life-changing, but they’re also lifesaving because if you can’t stabilize those people to treat them, there would likely be no happy ending.”
She’s particularly moved by the advancements in tissue recovery and grafting. “The steps currently being taken to recover and make these grafts are amazing,” she says. “Seeing constant changes and adaptations to maximize each donor’s gift is hugely rewarding.”
Everything that Brittney has done up to this point in her career not only helps her perform her job well but deepens her connection to organ and tissue donation. “We are trying to make sure no one is waiting on the transplant list,” she adds. “We want everyone who needs a life-saving graft or organ to be able to get it.”
She also highlights the ripple effect of tissue donation. “One healthy donor can impact an astronomical number of people,” she says. “For example, nerves from one donor can be used to create many grafts, restoring sensation for multiple recipients.” At the end of the day, it all goes back to more people being saved.
Brittney’s journey is a powerful reminder of the meaningful work happening at Mid-America Transplant. For those considering a career with the organization, she offers this encouragement: “I absolutely love it here,” she says. “It’s everything I hoped it would be and then some because it’s such a rewarding environment. The work we do here changes lives—not just for recipients, but for their families and communities as well. If you want a role that truly makes a difference, you won’t find a more beautiful mission.”
If you feel a calling toward organ donation, consider joining an organization committed to a lifesaving mission – find a rewarding career with Mid-America Transplant. View our current job openings.