Gift of Life Donor Program &
Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley

Anthony registered to be an organ donor when he received his driver's license, but we never expected him to become an organ donor. Knowing that others live on because of Anthony's gift has given us a great deal of comfort.

With every year that goes by, we celebrate Anthony. We also celebrate the 5 local lives that were also changed forever that same day in September. Because Anthony was an organ donor, "Bill" can play with his son again and is back to work. "Tom" told us he now has many more years with his son and daughter, and will honor Anthony's memory by leading a positive life. An infant boy is able to see all the colors of this big, beautiful world. A young woman is off of kidney dialysis leading a normal life. Finally, another young woman's vision was also restored. We're sure they didn't wake up that morning thinking that would be the day their lives would be changed for the better, all because a young man said "yes" at the DMV counter when asked if he wanted to be an organ donor. Because he said yes, we celebrate a new beginning for 5 special local lives.

Turning Tragedy into a Mission

To raise awareness with young people about the benefits of registering to be an organ donor, and to support the Gift of Life organization, Anthony’s sister, Gabby, and Reid Hartman started an Auks Gift of Life Club at their school. Their message has inspired seven other schools in Delaware to join them in their efforts. They organized the “Support Saving 8 Basketball Tournament,” raising money for Gift of Life and for their transportation to participate in the Gift of Life Donor Dash held in Philadelphia.  The tournament was named such in order to educate others that just 1 organ donor can potentially save 8 lives. The event was a huge success, even catching the attention of NBC10 (clip below).

Gift of Life Donor Dash

Each spring, we are proud to participate in the annual Gift of Life Donor Dash. With support from the Gift of Life clubs that Gabby and Reid helped to create at other local schools, Team Penna heads to Philadelphia to run (and/or walk!) for Anthony and for other donors and their families. The Dash celebrates the life-saving power of donation and honors all of the donors who give others a second chance at life. Keep a lookout in the early spring for registration details on how to join us on Team Penna!

Life After Loss

Being a donor family, we were approached by Gift of Life and asked to take part in their awareness campaign to help dispel some of the myths behind organ donation. We felt strongly about helping others understand what it means to be an organ donor, and how it can help those who have no other options available. The experience of being a donor family has been beautiful. Knowing that Anthony lives on in the lives he saved has given us hope and helped us tremendously as we heal and face our new normal. Many thanks to Gift of Life for sharing our story to help others realize the importance of being an organ donor.

About Gift of Life

Gift of Life Donor Program is the largest organ procurement organization in the United States, leading the nation in the number of organ donors since 2008. Serving more than 11.2 million people across the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, they help and heal lives by coordinating the recovery and distribution of organs and tissues used in life-saving and life-enhancing transplants.

Donate Life provides compassionate care for donors, transplant recipients, and their families, and are committed to educating the public about the need for donor registration.

Gift of Life is part of the nationwide organ and tissue sharing network run by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). They are proud to continually increase the number of people who benefit from organ donation. Since their inception in 1974, they have coordinated more than 50,000 organ transplants and improved more than 1.5 million lives through tissue transplants. You can learn more by visiting www.donors1.org.

About Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley

The Gift of Sight begins with the selfless decision of a cornea donor and their family who, in their time of grief, choose to leave a legacy of sight for others.

The Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley has been providing hope, restoring sight and preventing blindness for 65 years to nearly 50,000 community members through cornea transplantation. Through the healing power of donation, 97% of all cornea transplant operations successfully restore the recipient's vision. LEBDV serves as both a leader in the field of eye banking and as a responsible steward for the gift of cornea donation to over 1,000 individuals from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey annually. You can learn more by visiting www.lebdv.org.