Is to eliminate the shortage of organs for lifesaving transplants by being a trusted education resource for living organ donation and the leading provider of advocacy services for living donors.
Is for living organ donation to be widely known, understood, and available to those needing a lifesaving transplant, and for living donors to receive the independent advocacy and support they need before, during, and after transplantation.
Imagine the impact of your generosity– a life saved, a family reunited, and a future made possible.
I hope this letter finds you well and thriving in good health. I’m writing to you with a heartfelt purpose—to share an opportunity that allows you to be part of a mission that saves lives every day.
At The Living Bank, we aspire to eliminate the critical shortage of organs needed for transplant. The reality is stark— each year only 40% of those on the national waiting list receive a lifesaving organ. Sadly, many die waiting. These deaths can be prevented if more people know that living organ donation is an option. Public awareness is vital to reversing this trend and core to our vision.
Imagine the impact of your generosity— a life saved, a family reunited, and a future made possible.
Your involvement is not just a donation, but an investment in a future where the shortage of organs is a challenge of the past. Together, we can transform lives and ensure that no one has to die waiting for a transplant.
With gratitude and thanksgiving,
The need for organs is vastly greater than the number available for transplantation.
National Transplant Waiting List
104,709 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.*
97,363 are waiting for a kidney
95%
9,427 are waiting for a liver
of those on the waiting list could be saved through living organ donation.
17 People Die every day waiting for a transplant.
A living person can donate a kidney or liver lobe today and save the life of a loved one, a friend, or a complete stranger.
*Based on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Data - November 2024
The Living Bank advances its mission with the following programs and services:
Our community awareness program provides education on living organ donation and empowers communities to make informed health decisions. The program is provided to inform, inspire, and invoke our communities to start the living donation conversation. Additionally, we support our local and national communities through multiple communication channels, including online, print, social media, and in‑person presentations in community and corporate venues throughout the region.
Independent Living Donor Advocate Network TM (ILDAN TM )
The Independent Living Donor Advocate Network™ (ILDAN™) is an online community of social workers, nurses, professional counselors, clergy, and other health professionals who serve in live donor transplant programs. The Living Bank produces a live webinar each quarter and offers previously recorded presentations for on demand viewing. Attendees may earn one credit of continuing education for each ILDAN™ course completed. We provide this important resource at no cost to health professionals.
Independent Living Donor Advocacy
The Living Bank’s licensed clinical transplant social workers serve as Independent Living Donor Advocates (ILDAs) to live donor transplant programs in the Texas Medical Center and throughout the Nation. ILDAs serve to protect and promote the best interests of living organ donors, ensuring their decision to donate is informed and free from coercion.
At the heart of every transplant story lies a narrative of hope, courage, and human connection. The Living Donation Storytelling Project seeks to bring these stories to light, creating a meaningful dialogue around the life-changing impact of living kidney donation. This innovative digital library offers a platform for individuals from all walks of life to share their personal experiences with the world.
The Living Donation Storytelling Project exemplifies the belief that storytelling is a powerful tool for change. This project not only humanizes the complex world of organ donation but also empowers potential donors and recipients to make informed decisions.
Launched in the summer of 2018, this project uses innovative storytelling technology to allow participants to record their journeys anywhere, anytime, using a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. An email invitation provides access to record a video story, guided by open ended prompts. These prompts ensure each story is educational, impactful, and seamlessly stitched into a cohesive narrative.
The library now houses a diverse range of stories from individuals across various backgrounds,
highlighting the profound and personal nature of living donation. By sharing these candid experiences, storytellers not only raise awareness but also emphasize the urgent need for living donors to address the kidney donor shortage.
By engaging with the stories shared in the digital library, you can help us spread the word about the importance of living organ donation. Together, we can work towards reducing the organ donor shortage and increasing the number of successful transplants.
To learn more about the Living Donation Storytelling Project or to share your story, visit the website by scanning the QR Code. Join us in amplifying voices and inspiring change within the transplant community.
The Living Bank is partnering with Dr. Amy Waterman on The Living Donation Storytelling Project. The project is an educational resource developed by Dr. Waterman and the Patient Engagement Research Lab.
Dr. Amy D. Waterman is a national transplant innovator and esteemed leader in transplant medicine. She is the Director of Patient Engagement, Diversity, and Education, representing both J.C. Walter Transplant Center at Houston Methodist Hospital and the Houston Methodist Research Institute. She has authored over 100 research articles and developed numerous educational programs. These initiatives focus on expanding patient access to transplants, reducing disparities, and promoting informed decision making.
Her dedication is driven by three core beliefs:
// Kidney patients deserve informed choices about their treatment options.
// Potential donors must understand the donation process.
// Collective efforts between patients, families, and professionals can mitigate the kidney donor shortage.
Dr. Waterman’s work at the Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist Hospital continues to explore barriers to kidney transplantation and develop interventions to overcome them
Sharing candid experiences, storytellers raise awareness and emphasize the urgent need for living donors. Storytelling is a powerful tool for change.
On October 11TH we celebrated living organ donors and the lives saved by their extraordinary gift. Dr. Amy D. Waterman was the recipient of the Glen W. Karsten Memorial Award in recognition of her exceptional innovations and contributions to living donor education.
The Living Bank moderated a panel that included living kidney donors, Monique Wisdom and Angela Hawkins; living kidney recipient Annette Kaiser; Independent Living Donor Advocate, Sharon Coplon, LMSW; Health Educator and Researcher, Dr. Amy Waterman; and retired transplant surgeon, Dr. Pat Wood
Did you know that a person can donate a kidney or a liver lobe while they are alive!
We are excited to be sponsoring the Museum’s Science Discovery Kidney Cart. Visitors can spend five minutes learning about the vital functions of their kidneys and what happens if their kidneys stop working. We’ve created fun, educational giveaways that visitors can take and share with their family and friends.
The Living Bank hosted a lunch and learn at this year’s summit.
The Global Teen Medical Summit (GTMS) is a week-long summer program to explore modern-day health and bioscience challenges with experts from the Texas Medical Center. Partnering with some of the brightest minds in medicine today, this experience provides access to thought leaders involved in cuttingedge medical research, clinical practice, policy, and entrepreneurship.
Independent Living Donor Advocate Network™ (ILDAN™)
Medical Director of the UPMC
Living Donor Program
Benefits of Living Donor Liver Transplantation
Independent Living Donor Advocate
The Living Bank
Donor Ambivalence About the Recipient
Professional Services
ILDA Services Available Nationwide
INDEPENDENT LIVING DONOR ADVOCACY FOR YOUR PATIENTS.
HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS
VIRTUAL TELEHEALTH
TRANSLATION SERVICE
Serving
13 Transplant Centers
Independent Living Donor Advocate (ILDA) Services
California + Florida + Michigan
Texas + Washington + Wisconsin Developed Public Education
25,000
Offered
38 On Demand Webinars
4
1,500 Inquiries via email + telephone about living + deceased whole body donation Produced
Live Webinars
Constituents Nationwide In Person + Online + Print + Newsletter Responded to over
Provided
3,300
Continuing Education for Transplant Professionals
Independent Living Donor Advocate Evaluations for Living Kidney Donors + Living Liver Donors In Person + Telehealth
Registered over
Continuing Education for Transplant Professionals Awarded over
1,200 transplant professionals for continuing education. Live+On Demand Webinars
550 credit hours of continuing education Social Workers + Nurses + Other Healthcare Professionals at no cost to our attendees
The Beans are The Living Bank’s cast of whimsical, organ-inspired characters that seek to spread living donation awareness via social media. Follow us on Instagram for Bean comics and educational content!
Your
Each kidney contains up to a million functioning units called nephrons. A nephron consists of a filtering unit of tiny blood vessels called a glomerulus attached to a tubule.
When blood enters the glomerulus, it is filtered and the remaining fluid then passes along the tubule. In the tubule, chemicals and water are either added to or removed from this filtered fluid according to the body's needs, the final product being the urine we excrete.
Bean, I think we’re kind of a big deal. We totally are!!
I am Count Beanula! I crave to clean...your blood! That’s quite a list, Liver! What’s on it? It’s my daily task list! I like to stay nice and organ-ized!
The perfect gift this holiday season.
The Living Bank + Vineyard Vines created these one of a kind custom silk ties and key fob.
We yo support for living donation and shop with us online!
Erin Aafedt
Jacquelyn Acres
Marcia Allen
Arturo Almaraz
Dr. Yasser Alsalmay
Joan R. Ames
Donna M. Anderson
Nancy Anderson
Sam and Cathy Atkins
John Ballard
Timothy B. Baloian
Anne Marie Bartholomay
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Karen and Charles Baughn
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
Linda S. Becker
Mary Bell
Ruth Bernhardt
Pat and John Berry
James Bertrand
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Mark A. Biscone
Mark J. Biscone, Ph.D.
Robert A. Bladorn
Mrs. Rita N. Blumenfeld
Diane Boisvert
Karen Borek
Debra and Glenn Bradley
Bonita Brennan
Kevin Brown
Stuart B. Brown
Kristine Browning, RN
Judy Burdette
Beverly Burmeier
Laura Burt
Gail Butler
Sam Bybee
Nancy and Steve Bynon
Thomas B. Campbell
Ms. Michelle Carbone
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Vincent Cerisano
David and Janice Champion
Charities Aid Foundation America
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Anne Clare
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Roger Coutant
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Ms. Ann Davis
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Salil V. Deshpande, MD
Ray Domino
Nancy Dop
Ms. Angie Dugick EEPB
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Carolyn A. Ernst
Marguerite Lesley Fant
Karen Farrell
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Jule Fey
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Mr. Raymond K. Fink
Sherrie Finn
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Delaina Foster
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Joe Garson
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Kaye and Ed Gill
Veronica M. Gillespie
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James and Linda Graham
Glenn McConkey
Sue Gray
David M. Gregory, Esq.
Alfred O. and
Janet L. Grimminger
Edward Grodsky
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Anne Hall
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Wesley Hemmings
Christine F. Henderson
Paula Hern and Tom Barbour
Anne Hershbell
Frances Hill
Joyce Hirano
Dale F. Hoagland
Sara Hogan
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Jim Hooks
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Houston Methodist Hospital
Mr. Thomas E. Houston and Mr. Wayne Wilson
Steven K. and Judy M. Howell
Paul and Cheri Inglis
Les and Lyn Jacobs
John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science
C.J. Johnson
Robert Johnson
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Kent Kantz
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Dorothy Kaufmann
The Kayser Foundation
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Elizabeth M. Koup
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Mr. and Mrs. Ivar Larsen
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LifeGift
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Limb Design, LLC
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Locke Lord LLP
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Memorial Hermann Health System
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Ken Moss
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Donald P. Neville
L. T. Newton
Mary Nolan
Nora’s Home
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Dotty Oelkers
Christine A. O’Mahony, MD
Jim and Lindy Orr
Lauri Orwig
Carol Paradowski
Celeste Pardee
Daniel L. Parker
Linda Parkhill
A. Lynette Parsons
Karen Pasewark
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Charles Peters
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Mr. and Mrs.
George Roberts
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Madeleine Ross
Diesa Samp
Lisa M. Sanders
Martha R. Saville
Gretchen M. Schmalz
Susan A. Schneider
Guy A. Schneider
Mary L. Schrader
Jay and Peggy Schroller
Patricia Schwartz
Barbara Seder
Robert and Joyce Shaffer
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Shaw
Lee and Sheila Shaw
Corbett Smith
Daniel Beauchamp in honor of
The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
Elizabeth M. Brannon in honor of Diann Browell
Clay Anderson in memory of Joan S. Anderson, Ph.D.
Sharon Bradley in memory of Robert Bradley
Sherese Buie in memory of Barbara Cordelia Forte Johnson
Barbara Duncan in memory of
Christopher Duncan
J. Guez in memory of Joan Anderson, Ph.D.
Ruth A. Hearson in memory of John Paul Hearson
Ms. Emily C. Smith
Alice Snyder
Ms. Wendy Solomon
B.J. Spence
Ms. Wendy Stapley
Sean and Julia Steinke
Ralph Tamper
Texas Children’s Hospital
Craig Vollmers and Katherine Timmins
Mr. and Mrs. Lynn C. Tindall
Warren J. Tripp
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Sue Utter
Lynn Van Orden
Jill Veber
David C. Bray in honor of Angelica Hale
Gay Roane in honor of
Mr. and Mrs. John Durie and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Henricksen
David N. Hooper in memory of
Donna Lynn Brenner
Gladys Carter
Dorie Damuth
William E. “Bill” Dark
Cynthia Devlin
Guy Klingensmith
Carol Miller
Carter Moore
Thelma Louise Clanton Neff
Jessica Harris Thompson
Tracy
Kenneth Clyde Wyatt
Roy Henry Hunt in memory of Carol Ferris
Jody Johnston in memory of
Karen Ing and Sally Joy
John J. Vrablik
Eric Walther
R. Bruce Wanlass
Jack Watson
Ms. Shari Wescott
Susan and Bill Wescott
Virginia Wiggins
David and Dorothy Wilson
Lillian Woo
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick H. Wood III
Janis Wright
Carl Wrubel
Michael Yacobellis
David Yarbrough
Leslie E. Zalles
Nancy and Hans Strohmer in honor of Kelly Perdue
Rudyne Walker in honor of Dana Edson
The Vandaveer Consulting Group, Inc. in honor of Amy Waterman, Ph.D.
Sharon Kerby in memory of Earnest E. Kerby
Marilyn Lenz in memory of Gary Everett Joe’s father
Nancy Robbins
Diana L. McCracken in memory of Jim McCracken and Robert Augustin
Carolyn Morris in memory of Larry Bell
William Blevins
Charles Burleson
Dolores Olejniczak in memory of Raymond and Catherine Olejniczak
Teresa Radosti in memory of Marlies Stanton
Peggy Rowe in memory of Joyce Lynn Whitley
Katherine Smith in memory of David Castro
Hazel Thomas in memory of John Medrano
Louis and Donna Urschel in memory of Shawn Urschel
Mollie Whisler in memory of Joan S. Anderson Ph.D.
Chair
Diesa Samp, DNP, MHA, RN, CCTC, NEA BC, Texas Children’s Hospital
Vice Chair
Salil V. Deshpande, MD, MBA, United Healthcare
Treasurer
Catherine Lightfoot, CPA, CHBC, EEPB Tax | Audit | Advisory
Secretary
Kathleen Wood
Living Kidney Donor
Mark J. Biscone, PhD, MPH, FACHE, ACHE – SouthEast Texas Chapter
Living Kidney Donor
Christine M. Caruso, UPMC
David M. Gregory, JD, Locke Lord LLP
Ayke Hoppenreijs, Family Circle of Care
Living Kidney Recipient
Beverley Mukombe, MBA, MSN, RN, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
Kelly Perdue, CPA, President and Chief Executive Officer
The Living Bank
Joan Anderson, PhD
Louise Johnson
Glen Karsten
Esther Phillips
Margorie Robertson
The Living Bank was founded in 1968 as the first organ donor registry in the Nation; and the first provider of organ donation and transplantation education.