LifeSource Works with Avera McKennan and other Hospitals to Save Lives

The Avera Transplant Institute and partner LifeSource has been working with local NBC affiliate, KDLT and Minneapolis NBC affiliate, KARE-11, to document the amazing work that happens behind the scenes to bridge the loss of life and the gift of life through donation and transplantation. The result of this partnership is several produced segments that will air on KARE-11 and locally on KDLT, Sioux Falls cable channel 5 during the 10:00 P.M. news, November 22nd-24th. The local segments focus on the organ recipient, while the Minneapolis segments follow the donor family.

The story is from earlier this fall when a courageous donor family at Regions Hospital in Minneapolis opened up their lives and their grief to us. Their son had donor designation on his driver's license, which the family fully supported. In addition to their belief that donation is the right thing to do, their hope is that this video tribute to their son and the generous gifts he gave will be a tribute that his young daughter - who has now been left without a father - will be able to cherish in years to come. Because of this young man's decision to share life, six people received life-saving solid organ transplants and many, many others will benefit from his gifts of tissue and eye.

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Heath Center, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and Mayo Clinic were the regional transplant centers involved in this project. Organs were also transplanted to patients in Oregon, New York, and Missouri.

The comprehensive team at Avera Transplant Institute works to make organ and tissue donation the societal norm and save more lives through donation and transplantation.

Visit the KARE-11 website for the full story »