STA Foundation Honors Community Heroes with Outlive Yourself Awards
Annual program celebrates champions of organ donation and transplantation
Dallas – April 22, 2021 – The Southwest Transplant Alliance Foundation is celebrating National Donate Life Month in April by honoring community heroes in organ donation and transplantation. The annual Outlive Yourself Awards celebrate those who have made an extraordinary impact in the community and embody the lifesaving mission fulfilled by Southwest Transplant Alliance. Honorees were recognized during a private ceremony at the new Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) corporate campus.
“It’s so important to our entire organization that we honor the tradition of the Outlive Yourself Awards and some of the amazing unsung heroes of our cause,” said STA President and CEO Patti Niles. “At STA, we save lives. And we couldn’t do so without heroic donor families and a committed group of partners and community friends.”
The 2021 ceremony recognized the following winners:
· Methodist Health System provided operating rooms and ICU space as STA was working to establish the protocols, procedures and support for its new state-of-the-art organ and tissue recovery facility – The Legacy Center. This allowed for a smooth transition for transplant surgeons and staff while adapting to the vision for the new facility. Methodist was also key throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and helped provide testing for all potential organ donors to ensure healthy organs could continue to be provided to those awaiting a lifesaving transplant. Methodist offered all STA employees the COVID-19 vaccine. This enabled the STA team to work with confidence and ensure maximum protection against the virus.
· First Baptist Medical Center is a premiere surgical specialty hospital that graciously redirected their available operating room time when the nation was asked to halt all elective surgeries. The DFW healthcare community response to COVID-19 was overwhelming and our larger community healthcare systems were focused on life saving efforts as necessitated by the pandemic. FBMC came to rescue as they opened their empty ORs to our life saving mission. Heroically, FBMC responded to this mission and partnered with STA and opened its doors to receive organ donors. COVID-free operating rooms and facilities helped STA stay operational and provide a safe environment for transplant teams to travel, recover organs, and continue saving lives.
· The Pray Family and Pray for Life Foundation were recognized for their commitment to supporting STA and especially donor families. Rocky and Dana Pray established the Pray for Life Foundation in honor of their son, Jeston Pray. “Jes” is remembered for his care and concern for others that was ultimately demonstrated through his donation of life to five others. The Pray Family and Pray for Life Foundation were recognized for their commitment to providing the very best care and comfort to donor families. Generously supporting all donor families with care kits and through a financial gift to the STA Foundation’s capital campaign, The Pray Family and Pray for Life Foundation support families who have experienced the healing and hope that comes from becoming a donor family.
STA serves more than 10 million people across 89 different counties in Texas and the STA Foundation was created to support its lifesaving mission. The Foundation cares for donor and recipient families, honors the gift of life and supports research and transformative programs that foster lifesaving innovation for the future. For more information about the STA Foundation please visit our website.
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About Southwest Transplant Alliance
Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) is a nonprofit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that saves lives by fulfilling the gifts of organ and tissue donation. Founded in 1974, STA has facilitated more than 35,000 organs for recovery and enhanced the lives of tens of thousands of people through tissue recovery. STA is among the largest of 58 federally designated, nonprofit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO). STA serves communities in North Texas, Beaumont, Bryan/College Station, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Galveston, Midland/Odessa, Temple, Tyler and Wichita Falls. For more information, go to ORGAN.ORG