STA Foundation Honors Donation Champions at the 2024 Outlive Yourself Awards
April 18, 2024 – The Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) Foundation honored individuals and donation partners committed to advancing donation and transplantation with its annual Outlive Yourself Awards. This year’s honorees were grateful liver recipient Lisa Barker, longtime STA board member Donna Halstead and hospital partner UT Health Tyler. We were grateful to honor them at a ceremony at STA Headquarters in Dallas.
“Each Outlive Yourself Award honoree is an incredible donation advocate,” said STA President and CEO Brad Adams. “They use their force for good and have made a tremendous impact in the lives of people across the state and the country.”
Learn more about each honoree’s impact:
Lisa Barker has tirelessly advocated for donation and transplantation since she received the gift of a lifesaving liver transplant 10 years ago. She shines a light on the great need while continuously honoring her donor hero, Courtney Ray Sterling. The gift she received, and her advocacy has in turn created a beautiful ripple effect that touches everyone she meets.
Donna Halstead, a long-time STA Board Member and advocate for the Dallas community, has been involved in STA’s life-saving work for many years. Her connection to donation stems from the loss of her nephew, Andy, whose organ donation saved a friend's life. Donna's leadership, guidance, and support have been felt across the city of Dallas, where she served as president of the Dallas Regional Chamber and as a city council member. She has also been invaluable to our mission through her longtime role on STA’s Board of Directors.
UT Health Tyler staff members are champions for the mission of donation and have created a culture of donation within their hospital. They lead with care and compassion when working with courageous donor families and are an invaluable STA partner who strives to maximize donation and honor the gift of life in every instance.
STA is honored to serve more than ten million Texans across 89 counties. The STA Foundation supports STA’s lifesaving mission by caring for donor and recipient families, inspiring the community to honor the gift of life and advancing transplant science.
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 56 federally designated, nonprofit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States and is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Established in 2018, the STA Foundation provides care for families, community education, and research in transplant science. 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, visit ORGAN.ORG.
