#BeTheGift Connections

We are just days away from the 2026 Transplant Games of America and are excited to spotlight a member of Team Tennessee competing in the inaugural Living Donor Division! 💙💚 Megan Conner is a singer/songwriter, personal trainer and marathon runner based in Nashville, TN. On January 16, 2025, she made the selfless decision to become a living donor for her friend, Kim. She joins us on this segment...

We're warming up for the upcoming 2026 Transplant Games of America on #BeTheGift Connections! 💙💚 In one week, liver recipient Tom Satkowiak will be one of an estimated 3,000 athletes gathering in Denver, Colorado, to celebrate the impact of donation and showcase what's possible after transplantation. Tom joins us on this segment to share his inspiration for joining this year's Transp...

What would inspire someone to be a living kidney donor for a complete stranger? On this segment of #BeTheGift Connections, we're joined by Stewart County Clerk Natalie Hardison, a living donor, and Elaine Ford, her kidney recipient, as they share how donation intertwined their lives forever.

Every heartbeat tells a story, and we're honored to share them on #BeTheGift Connections! On this segment, we're joined by Kristina Hudgins, a mother who was in the middle of raising her two children when she learned she would need a heart transplant to survive.

We have a special segment of #BeTheGift Connections in honor of National Nurses Week! Matthew Darling was just three years old when he received a kidney transplant. He joins us to share how that one gift inspired him to pursue a career in nursing years later.

It's time to celebrate Donate Life Month with stories of hope and healing on #BeTheGift Connections! On this segment, we'll hear from Tennessee State Representative Kevin Raper, a liver recipient whose lifesaving transplant allowed him to return to public office with a deeper understanding of the process that touches so many lives.

We're raising awareness for kidney health and the critical need for kidney donors during National Kidney Month on #BeTheGift Connections! On this segment, we're joined by Justin Ballew, a kidney recipient, as he shares what it was like to go from complete independence to a medical crisis in a matter of days while abroad and the journey that led him to finally receive a transplant.

We're celebrating Black History Month on #BeTheGift Connections! ❤️💚💛🖤 On this segment, Dr. Beau Kelly, Sierra Donor Services Surgical Director, joins us to discuss his career as a transplant surgeon, disparities in access to medical care and how we can work together to create a more equitable future in donation and transplantation.

We're celebrating Black History Month on #BeTheGift Connections! ❤️💚💛🖤 On this segment, former Tennessee Titans player Albert Haynesworth III joins us to share the remarkable journey that led to his lifesaving kidney transplant.

Take a break from the ice and snow with a heartwarming story about one selfless young woman who changed countless lives through donation. Jordyn Wilson was ready to start a new life at 18 years old when she became a donor hero. Her parents, Don and Tracy, join us to share more about her life and the incredible gift she gave others in her final moments.

We're celebrating the Season of Giving with heartwarming stories of hope, resilience and the gift of life on #BeTheGift Connections! ✨ On this segment, we'll chat with Everett Drewes, a five and a half year old kidney recipient, and his parents, Matthew and Margaret, about the journey that led to the new life of "Everett 2.0." 💙💚

We're wrapping up our series of programs related to cornea donation in honor of Eye Donation Month on #BeTheGift Connections! On our final segment, we'll go behind the scenes of corneal recovery and transplantation with two special guests from Sierra Donor Services Eye Bank (SDSEB), featuring:💙 Dr. Jennifer Li, SDSEB Medical Director and Corneal Surgeon💚 Alyssa Hernandez, SDSEB Director...

We're continuing our series of programs related to cornea donation and transplantation in honor of Eye Donation Month on #BeTheGift Connections! On this segment, we'll hear from Christine Lichti, a UC Davis Health Pediatric Critical Care Nurse and cornea recipient, as she shares how her cornea transplant transformed her outlook on life - in more ways than one!

In honor of Eye Donation Month, we're featuring a series of programs related to cornea donation and transplantation on #BeTheGift Connections! On this segment, we'll be joined by Ashley Pensis, a donor mother who made the selfless decision to allow her son, Wyatt, to continue seeing the world as a cornea donor hero.

We're wrapping up National Liver Awareness Month with our final liver transplant story on #BeTheGift Connections! Christian Scherba's daughter, Lucy, was born with a congenital liver disease that resulted in years of doctor visits, surgeries and hospital stays. Christian joins us on this segment to take us through Lucy's transplant journey and how the experience strengthened their fami...

It's time for our second liver transplant story in honor of National Liver Awareness Month on #BeTheGift Connections! Jake Ragland dealt with chronic liver disease for most of his life, but one single, selfless act changed everything. He joins us to share his transplant journey and the opportunities he's experienced thanks to the gift of life.

We're celebrating National Liver Awareness Month with the first of three inspirational liver transplant stories on #BeTheGift Connections! Erin Morris was only a teenager when she was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. After spending 9 years waiting for the gift of life, she received her liver transplant from a selfless donor hero in 2014. She joins us to share more about her experience and...

For many patients, receiving an organ transplant is not only a lifesaving experience but a life-changing one. On this segment of #BeTheGift Connections, we're excited to welcome veteran bluegrass artist Mark Newton. a liver and kidney recipient, as he shares how his two transplants impacted his music and his life.

We all know that a snowstorm in the South can shut communities down, but the dedicated work of organ procurement organizations, hospitals and transplant centers must go on! On this episode of #BeTheGift Connections, Doug Floyd, a two-time kidney recipient, and Rebecca Jarvis, UTMC Transplant Coordinator, join us to share the miraculous chain of events that led to Doug's lifesaving gift amidst...

As National Minority Donor Awareness Month comes to a close, we're reminded of the critical need for transplants among our multicultural communities. On this segment of #BeTheGift Connections, we're joined by Mid-South Transplant Foundation's Artavius Veasey, a kidney recipient who uses his own experience as a recipient and a donor family member to speak to the lifesaving impact of don...

Adam Cowan spent nine years on dialysis before receiving his lifesaving kidney transplant. On this segment of #BeTheGift Connections, Adam joins us to share how he uses his transplant experience to advocate for dialysis patients and encourage others to register to be organ, eye and tissue donors.

In May 2022, 15-year-old Anthony "Peanut" Glenn, Jr., became a victim of gun violence and saved lives as a donor hero. Jay Mazon, Anthony's mother, joins us on this segment of #BeTheGift Connections to share his story and how she came to the decision to keep her son's legacy alive through donation.

Millions of children attend summer camps across the United States each year, but we're excited to share with you a special summer camp for children with kidney disease and transplant recipients: Dialysis Clinic, Inc.'s Camp Okawehna. On this episode of #BeTheGift Connections, we'll be joined by Camp O Director John Hosford III to learn more about the camp experience and what it means t...

Each day, we're reminded that ANYONE has the power to give the gift of life. Cameron Parker was one such hero who lived life to the fullest before saving lives in death. His mother, Kendra Hicks, joins us to share more about his remarkable legacy.

Organ donation can transform a tragedy into a source of hope, healing and lasting legacy for the donor's recipients, family and friends. On this episode of #BeTheGift Connections, we'll hear from Annie Deaton, TDS Clinical Manager and donor sister, as she shares how her brother Lane's selfless legacy lives on through the Livin' Fore Lane Memorial Golf Tournament.