Organ procurement coordinator Casey O’Brien has been named Lifesharing’s ‘Nurse of the Year’ for 2023. Casey joined our team in 2019 and travels to hospitals throughout San Diego County to coordinate the organ donation process. She works to find matching recipients for donated organs such as hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys.

Lifesharing took home two statuettes for its efforts to encourage organ and tissue donation in San Diego. The Finest Awards were organized by the Health Care Communicators of Southern California to recognize excellence in healthcare marketing and advertising.

April is National Donate Life Month, a celebration designed to raise awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation. The logo was designed by Donate Life America and features a pond coming to life in spring. The artwork is symbolic: frogs are a sign of renewal, since they begin their lives as tadpoles.

In another milestone year, Lifesharing saved a record 437 lives in 2022. As the organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties, Lifesharing coordinates organ and tissue donation at the end of a person’s life. Last year, we helped transplant 211 kidneys, 93 livers, 65 lungs, 57 hearts and 11 pancreases (also known as pancreata).

Lifesharing is proud to announce San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Robin Cervantes as its 2023 Rose Parade Honoree. The late Capt. Cervantes became an organ donor in 2019 after Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, liver and kidneys.

Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday where it’s believed that the spirits of our deceased loved ones return to earth. Every year, Lifesharing builds a beautiful ofrenda (altar) to honor its recent organ and tissue donors.

Lifesharing is proud to announce Jeff Trageser as its new leader. Trageser will officially assume the role of executive director on October 16th, 2022, having guided Lifesharing for nearly a year as interim leader. Trageser has maintained Lifesharing’s status as a top-tier organ procurement organization (OPO) and both its organ and tissue teams are projected to see a record number of donors by the end of this year.

Billed as “the world’s largest celebration of life,” the Transplant Games bring together thousands of transplant recipients for a week of athletic and recreational competitions. There are 37 teams from across the country taking part, along with three international teams from Brazil, Colombia and Australia.

The heroic work of Lifesharing’s Tissue Department was highlighted in a two-page spread in the May 2022 issue of TransplantNATION Magazine. These dedicated individuals work night and day to coordinate the donation of human tissue for transplantation.

Lifesharing’s films and public relations efforts have garnered four prestigious awards this year. On June 18, 2022, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held its 48th Annual Emmy Awards program in Palm Springs, California.

Despite the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifesharing saw a record 146 organ donors last year. Thanks to these heroes, Lifesharing was able to save 413 lives through organ donation. To illustrate the magnitude of this, Lifesharing placed 413 roses in its memorial garden — one for each life saved in 2021.

A float honoring organ and tissue donors has won the Extraordinaire Award from the Tournament of Roses. Lifesharing was a proud sponsor of the 2022 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, which featured the floral portraits of 35 organ and tissue donors, including Robert (“Robby”) Barksdale, Jr. Barksdale was a San Diego sailor who saved five lives when Lifesharing carried out his organ donation in 2018.

Lifesharing has chosen organ donor Robert (“Robby”) Barksdale, Jr., as its Rose Parade Honoree for 2022. His floral portrait will be featured on the Donate Life Float, which pays tribute to organ and tissue donors from around the country. Barksdale, Jr., was a brilliant, charismatic and generous young man who served as a Damage Controlman in the U.S. Navy.

In an extraordinary display of generosity, Lifesharing organ donors saved 19 lives in a period of just two days. From August 5 – 7, 2021, our organ team managed six donor cases simultaneously – the number they typically see in a 2-week period.”

Lifesharing was a double winner at the 47th Annual Emmy Awards on June 3, 2021. The Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognized Lifesharing for outstanding achievement in two categories: Video Essay and Branded Content. The film, “Remembering Our Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de los Muertos,” tells the story of the beautiful ofrenda (altar) that Lifesharing employees created in 2020 to honor recent donors.

Jaclyn (“Jackie”) Russe is Lifesharing’s “Nurse of the Year” and UC San Diego Health’s Nurse Consultant award winner. The accolades were announced during Nurses Week, which runs from May 6 – 12, 2022. In her position as a Lifesharing organ procurement coordinator, Jackie travels to hospitals throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. When a patient’s life cannot be saved, it’s Jackie’s job to try and save their organs.

Lifesharing saved a record 424 lives in 2020, successfully overcoming extraordinary challenges presented by COVID-19. Determined to carry out their mission, our team achieved two incredible milestones: a record 143 organ donors and a record 424 organs transplanted in a single year. These efforts were made possible by the amazing generosity of our donor families and the phenomenal support of our hospital partners.

Every year, Lifesharing creates a beautiful ofrenda (altar) to honor its recent heroes. Celebrated on November 1 and 2, Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where it’s believed that the spirits of our deceased loved ones return to earth.

Lifesharing, the federally designated organ donation group in San Diego, is proud to honor Everardo Martinez on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float. The float features organ donors from all over the country – Martinez will represent the San Diego area on behalf of Lifesharing.

Lifesharing, the federally designated organ donation group in San Diego, was proud to partner with the San Diego Padres for the 5th Annual “Donate Life Night” at Petco Park on Monday, July 30th. David Abbott, 10, threw out the honorary first pitch in memory of his younger brother, Will Abbott.