Organ Donors Honored in Annual UK HealthCare/KODA Gift of Life Celebration

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 17, 2015) – At age 16, Greenville, Ky. native Emily Austin Rhoads went to get her driver's license, just like any other teenager. When asked about signing up for the Kentucky Organ Donor Registry, she agreed to join without a second thought.

"At the DMV, they asked if she wanted to become an organ donor, and she said, 'Why wouldn't we do that?'" her mother, Martha, recalls. It was typical of Emily's selfless nature.

"She was beautiful inside and out," Martha said.

Last year, a car accident tragically cut short Emily's life at age 27. Honoring her wishes, Emily's heart, liver, and kidney were donated to patients in need of a transplant.

Meanwhile, Tennessee native Becky Hayes suffered from an inherited liver cancer, causing her to spend 15-20 hours a day in bed. She worried she wouldn't live long enough to spend time with her youngest grandchildren.

On Aug. 18, 2014, Becky got word that a matching liver was on its way. After a successful surgery at the University of Kentucky Transplant Center, she recovered well and says her health has dramatically improved.

"It's made my entire life better," Becky said. "I feel like the most blessed woman in the world."

This past Saturday, Nov. 14, Becky got the opportunity to thank her donor family in person. She and Martha – along with several of their family members – attended the fourth annual Gift of Life Celebration together. Hosted by UK HealthCare and Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), the event celebrates organ donors with a special ceremony and the unveiling of their names on the Gift of Life Memorial Wall, located prominently inside UK Chandler Hospital's Pavilion A.

Every year, the wall is updated to honor both new donors and those who have donated in years past. This year, 41 names were added to the wall. To date, more than 360 donors have been honored on the memorial wall.

“Creating a lasting tribute to those who have given hope and new life through donation has been a dream of UK and KODA for many years,” said Donna Slone, client services coordinator for UK HealthCare and KODA. “There have been nearly 1,000 donors at UK since transplantation began here in 1964. Some have chosen to remain anonymous, but we hope other families of UK donors that we have not reached will see the Gift of Life wall and allow us to add those names in the future.”

In addition to the official recognition of donors, the ceremony also featured a vocal performance by KODA Client Services Coordinator Diana Thacker as well as remarks from liver recipient Amelia Brown Wilson, UK HealthCare's Chief Administrative Officer Ann Smith, and Dr. Andrew Bernard, UK's director of trauma and acute care surgery. Bernard, also the chair of the Donation and Transplantation Action Council, emphasized the importance of organ donation in Kentucky and beyond.

“UK HealthCare is both a major trauma center and a transplant center, so we see each day how donation and transplantation touch the lives of fellow Kentuckians in very remarkable ways,” Bernard said. “Each donor family’s generosity and their loved one’s gifts are represented in the more than 28,000 lives saved each year in the United States through transplantation.”

Every year, an estimated 6,000 people die while waiting for an organ transplant. More than 122,000 Americans are currently waiting for donated organs, including more than 1,000 people in Kentucky. Their names are on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list. The level of necessity, blood type, and size are among several criteria that determine who can receive a donated organ. One individual donor can provide organs and tissue for nearly 50 people in need.

Though honoring Emily's legacy is emotionally tough, Martha says that looking for the good that has come from Emily's donations helps the family heal.

"We prefer to remember Emily's life, not her death," she said. "You look for the positive things that you can find. We're happy that other people have been able to benefit from this."

Becky says that the gift she received has given her a second chance at life – she and her husband had planned to go to Paris for an anniversary trip that was cancelled when she became ill. Next year, they have plans to finally take that trip, an opportunity that seemed unthinkable five years ago. Attending the ceremony with Martha gave her a chance to show her profound thanks.

"She saved my life, and I'm so beholden to [Emily and the Rhoads family]," Becky said. "I wanted to honor her – she gave me the gift of life, and how can you thank anyone for that?"

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Although hospitals are obligated by law to identify potential donors and allow the organ donor procurement program to inform families of their right to donate, anyone can sign up to become an organ donor by joining the Kentucky Organ Donor Registry. The registry is a safe and secure electronic database where a person’s wishes regarding donation will be carried out as requested.

To join the registry, visit www.donatelifeky.org or sign up when you renew your driver’s license.  The donor registry enables family members to know that you chose to save and enhance lives through donation. Kentucky’s “First Person Consent” laws mean that the wishes of an individual on the registry will be carried out as requested. 

If your loved one was an organ donor at UK Chandler Hospital and you would like to have him or her honored on the Gift of Life wall in the future, contact the KODA office at UK HealthCare at (859) 323-7343.

MEDIA CONTACT: Allison Perry, (859) 323-2399 or allison.perry@uky.edu