We educate, inspire, and activate the public to say yes to registering their decision to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor.

 ~ Mission Statement, Donate Life of America

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If you haven’t already registered to be an organ donor, do it today here!

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Sandra, Marisa, Erica, and I were streaming Modern Family the other night. It was a scene right out of the 1970s, when families gathered around the TV to watch their favorite shows. The smart TV screen is much bigger and clearer than my family’s 25-inch console in 1976, and there were no commercials. Otherwise, the vibe was the same. We were laughing out loud at every outrageous situation the show’s colorful characters created for themselves. 

Almost 16 years earlier, I couldn’t imagine that family scene unfolding. In 2010, we didn’t have such a large and sophisticated television, nor was streaming a regular part of our entertainment choices. Those aren’t the reasons for my lack of imagination. During that summer, I was in the ICU fighting for my life, uncertain if I would survive another day. God’s intervention, an amazing healthcare team, and a heart transplant in 2020 made our Modern Family binge night possible.

Before my health crisis, I wasn’t a registered organ donor. The thought never crossed my mind. I wasn’t alone. According to the Health Resources & Services Administration, about half of American adults are registered organ donors, about 170 million people. That sounds like a lot of people. On the downside, over 100,000 critically ill men, women, and children are waiting for an organ to save their lives. At least 13 people die every day as they wait.

In 2003, Donate Life of America, a national nonprofit organization, established and designated April as National Donate Life Month, “to honor deceased and living donors, encourage registration, and educate the public about the life-saving impact of donation.” Congress followed suit in 2024 by instituting an annual resolution recognizing and celebrating National Donate Life Month.

Since the 2010 health crisis and my 2020 heart transplant, organ donation is always on my mind. My post-transplant life has been full of faith, hope, love, activity, joy, sadness, anxiety, celebration, long walks, and extended periods of just living. All of these things were unimaginable a decade and a half ago. The very thought of living with a heart that wasn’t in my chest on the day I was born is profound. The fact that someone lost his life so I could live is humbling.

April is a special month for me. My transplant was on April 16. The nation honors organ donors and living donors and encourages everyone who’s able to register. I try to do my part, too. 

This year, Donate Life Month started two days early for me. On behalf of Transplant Recipients International Organization, I opened the 29th Annual Remember and Rejoice Ceremony before a standing-room-only St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On April 13, as a volunteer for Donor Network West, an organ procurement organization, I participated in the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors’ proclamation for Donate Life Month ceremony with a fellow Kaiser Santa Clara heart transplant patient. Before Donate Life Month ended, I had the honor of addressing construction industry leaders at the 10th Annual Hard Hats with Heart fundraiser sponsored by the American Heart Association.

The majestic cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, the board of supervisors chambers, and the elegant Claremont Hotel in Berkeley are all special places. Places I could never have imagined being in as a kid, much less after the Summer of 2010. Wearing tailored suits while rubbing elbows with national transplant advocacy leaders, local elected officials, and industry executives is cool.  

Despite the excitement of public pageantry, the best part of Donate Life Month 2026 was sitting with Sandra, Marisa, and Erica, and watching Jay, Gloria, Manny, Mitchell, Cameron, Lily, Claire, Phil, Haley, Alex, and Luke bring us joy, laughter, and happiness with their crazy onscreen antics. Without a selfless human being who thought of spreading God’s love by sharing his organs for the sake of strangers after he passed through this life, I wouldn’t have had that special moment with my family.  

Thank you to my anonymous donor and his family. Your love of humankind has changed many lives. I encourage everyone who’s reading this blog who hasn’t already registered to be an organ donor to register today here!

Happy Donate Life Month!