STA Foundation Honors Organ Donation Champions with 2022 Outlive Yourself Awards
DALLAS, May 26, 2022 – Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) Foundation honored individuals and hospital partners committed to advancing organ donation and transplantation with its annual Outlive Yourself Awards. Baylor University Medical Center, grateful transplant recipient, Kirk Woodall, and STA CEO, Patti Niles, were recognized during a private ceremony Wednesday evening at STA’s Legacy Center in Dallas.
“The 2022 Outlive Yourself Award recipients have shown incredible commitment to our mission to fulfill the gifts of organ and tissue donation,” said STA President, Brad Adams. “Each one has made an impact that will transform the lives of thousands of people across Texas and beyond.”
Learn more about the honorees’ impact:
· Baylor University Medical Center’s collaborative approach to organ donation has improved care for donors and their families and saved more lives. BUMC integrated STA Clinical Coordinators into its hospital team, implemented an automated referral system to identify potential donors, and worked closely with STA to advance Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD). BUMC Chief Operating Officer, Kyle Armstrong, accepted the award on the hospital’s behalf.
· Kirk Woodall is committed to giving back and lives every day with an “attitude of gratitude” after receiving a liver transplant at Methodist Hospital Dallas in 2017. Because of his donor’s generous gift, Woodall and his wife, Cynthia, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and have made numerous memories with their three children and ten grandchildren. Woodall has supported the STA Foundation since 2018.
· Patti Niles has been a driver of positive change in the donation and transplantation community for nearly 30 years. In her role as President and CEO, STA has steadily increased the number of lives saved by more than 80%, transforming STA into one of the most successful organ procurement organizations in the country. Two years ago, Patti brought to life STA’s stand-alone organ recovery center, The Legacy Center. This state-of-the-art facility supports the unique needs of STA’s operation and provides comfort and tribute to organ donors and their families.
Photos from the event can be found here.
STA serves a diverse population of more than 10 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 investing in initiatives that advance transplant science.
More than 107,000 people in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and more than 10,000 of them are Texans. Anyone can register their decision to become an organ and tissue donor.
Record your decision:
· Online at organ.org/register,
· When you renew your driver’s license or state ID through Texas DPS,
· On the MedID tab of the Health App on your iPhone or iPad,
· Through STA and Donate Life Texas representatives at special events, or
· By completing a paper form by mail, available here.
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 57 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.
Media Contact
Teddi Cliett
214-635-3025