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3 Powerful Reasons to Become an Organ Donor

Apr. 28, 2025
Photo Jun 15 3 17 13 PM
Melissa Tyler's son was an organ donor who helped save Tom Barbera's life. Listening to her son's heart provides comfort.

One of the most generous and life-changing decisions you can make is to become an organ donor. It’s a simple act with an extraordinary impact.

The Need is Great

More than 100,000 people in the country need life-saving organ transplants. That includes more than 500 in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region who are waiting for transplant surgeries at UR Medicine’s Strong Memorial Hospital.
Those figures far exceed the number of organs donated each year, according to the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, the organ procurement organization affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center, in partnership with other Upstate New York hospitals.

Unfortunately, some patients wait years for a match. Some don’t make it.

You Can Be a Lifesaver

Choosing to be an organ donor allows you to help save as many as eight people and improve the quality of life for many more through tissue and cornea donation. It could be the miracle someone desperately needs.

Denise Abbey felt her “life was slowly slipping away” in 2022, as her heart was failing and doctors added her to the wait list for a new heart. She feared she wouldn’t survive to raise her teen boys.

The Buffalo mother is grateful to the person whose heart beats within her chest. Witnessing her boys’ accomplishments and sharing a meal and laughter with them are invaluable. And it wouldn’t be possible without the generous stranger and their family, who are in her prayers daily.

For Paul Wlosinski, living donation was the right move when colleague Dan Schermerhorn was struggling with advanced kidney disease. Wlosinski stepped up to be tested, which showed he was a match. He donated a kidney, giving his friend more time to be with loved ones.

“I always have in my mind, ‘never go through life saying you could have done something,’” Wlosinski said.


You Create a Lasting Legacy

When Melissa Tyler’s son died unexpectedly, his desire to provide the Gift of Life provided unexpected comfort during the grief. Curious about the people who received Cameron’s organs, Tyler later reached out to the Rochester-area man who received his heart.

Tom Barbera wondered about his donor and how he could ever express his deep gratitude for the time he has been given. In an emotional meeting, Barbera gave Tyler a huge hug, which really said it all. Two families were forever united.

“Now, seeing the outcome, I’d encourage everyone to be an organ donor,” Tyler said. “The person you love becomes a hero, even though you already know it.”

Cameron’s decision to donate his organs was a surprise to his family. If you’ve made the decision to be an organ donor, share it with your loved ones. It can help ease stress during an already difficult time.

It’s Easy to Enroll

Anyone 16 and older can join the Donate Life Registry. Here are five easy ways:

    1. Complete the form online at passlifeon.org
    2. Check the box while at the Department of Motor Vehicles
    3. When applying for health care benefits through the New York Health Exchange
    4. When registering to vote
    5. Through UR Medicine’s MyChart patient portal

Becoming a living organ donor is a separate process.

UR Medicine Transplant Institute has large teams of experts who care for patients from across Upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, offering kidney, liver, pancreas, and heart transplants, as well as a pediatric liver transplant program.

Learn about Living Donation

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Leslie White
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