Recipient Stories

Recipient Stories

Organ, eye and tissue donations can have a lasting impact on transplant recipients and their loved ones. Hear real-life stories from individuals who have received lifesaving and life-enhancing transplants, thanks to the generosity of donors and their families.

Portrait image of Maxine McMullen sitting outside in a wicker chair wearing a blue shirt.

Maxine McMullen

Organ donation has not only been lifesaving for Maxine McMullen: It has become a lifestyle.

Through educational booths at health fairs and dialysis centers, Maxine sheds light on the options available to those facing kidney failure.

Individual photograph of Ward "Buck" Newman.

Ward “Buck” Newman

The late Ward “Papa Buck” Newman was an Air Force veteran with a passion for animals.

When keratitis began to take his sight, Buck required a cornea transplant so he could continue driving for the “Rescue Road Warriors,” a group whose volunteers rescue dogs from puppy mills.

Portrait image of Korbin Staten

Korbin Staten

Korbin Staten received an overwhelming diagnosis at the same time as he received devastating news: He had kidney disease, and his father was in end-stage renal failure.

Six years later, Korbin received a kidney transplant; unfortunately, the transplanted kidney faced two types of rejection.

Read about donor families and the impact their loved ones made, or tell us about your own personal experience with organ donation.