Donation Celebrations

From Spokane to Bellevue to Billings to Missoula, we’ve been making our rounds to celebrate donor families and their loved ones who made life and sight possible for others through organ, eye and tissue donation.

We look forward to also celebrating soon with families in Anchorage, Alaska, but here’s a special glimpse of our summer with donation communities in both Montana and Washington.

Spokane, Washington

Al Bass suffered from liver disease for nearly a decade — he couldn’t work, provide for his family or recall simple things. In July of 2018, Al was airlifted to Harborview after passing out on the side of the freeway from trying to change a flat tire. He had hours to live. It was the evening of July 26, 2018, that Spokane man Gregg Sutton, only 35, tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident. Gregg was a registered organ donor and his liver saved Al’s life. Al, who now shares a beautiful friendship with his donor’s mother, shared his story of gratitude for the second chance he’s been given because of organ donation.

Bellevue, Washington

Reece Chambers was a healthy 42-year-old firefighter and father of four when he found himself hospitalized due to heart failure. At this time, another 42-year-old father named Kevin Irby of Yakima tragically died from respiratory failure. Kevin’s family donated his organs, saving four people, including Reece, who received Kevin’s heart of gold. Reece recovered and became the first firefighter in Washington state to return to duty following a heart transplant.

“I remember laying in the hospital bed, and wanting to get better not because I wanted to go on huge adventures or make up for lost time, but because I wanted to be a dad and watch my kids grow. I wanted to see them go to homecoming dances, meet their friends, take them camping and skiing, watch them get taller than me. Cook them dinner and pack their lunches. I wanted to get annoyed at them when they leave their dirty socks on my couch, tell them to do their homework. The everyday stuff. “I wanted to go back to work and lead my crew for the simple reason that I earned it. I wanted to be held to and perform at the same standards as everyone else. I’m living all that now. It’s my dream come true. With that said, there isn’t a moment in my life that I am not aware of my miracle. I wake up every morning thankful to Kevin and the Irbys for everything they have done. I live every moment of my life knowing how lucky and blessed I am.” 

Reece chambers, heart transplant recipient

Billings, Montana

Deanna Wittak’s son Jake was born with Biliary Atresia, a rare liver disease that prevents the bile ducts in the liver from developing, which is fatal without surgery or liver transplant. Deanna was told that 2-month-old Jake would need a liver transplant before his first birthday. The day that Deanna and Jake checked into the hospital is the day the World Trade Center fell. The world felt like a terrible place. But after a month of living in the hospital, and at 12:30 a.m. on the morning of Deanna’s birthday, she received a call … a liver was available for Jake!

“Michael lives on in my son and in my heart, and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him and his mother and the wonderful gift of life they gave my son.”

Deanna wittak, mother to pediatric liver recipient

Missoula, Montana

John and Rebecca Mulholland, the parents to 18-year-old Garrett Mulholland, traveled from Fairbanks, Alaska, to attend our Missoula Donation Celebration and to meet the recipient of their son’s lungs, Mark Delorme. Mark was the recipient speaker at the event. Watch their impactful interviews.

Across two states and four events, hundreds of donor family members and transplant recipients connected over a shared meal and inspiring stories to celebrate the remarkable legacies of their loved ones and donor heroes.

Do you want a reminder for next year’s Donation Celebrations? Email FamilyAftercare@lcnw.org to get on the invite list!