Mega Doctor News
EDINBURG, Texas – An organ, eye or tissue transplant represents far more than a medical procedure; it’s the promise of more time, renewed health and a future once thought impossible for thousands of patients each year.
Today, more than 103,000 men, women and children remain on the national organ transplant waiting list, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), with another person added every eight minutes.
“The transplant waiting list represents real people, parents longing to watch their children grow, children hoping for more time with their families and loved ones holding onto hope for another tomorrow,” says Kennetha Foster, MSN, MHA, RN, Chief Operating Officer, South Texas Health System (STHS) Edinburg. “Choosing to become an organ donor is an extraordinary act of compassion, one that can change the course of someone’s life and bring hope and healing even in the midst of profound loss.”
Through organ, eye and tissue donation, one donor can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of as many as 75 others, creating a ripple effect of hope that extends far beyond a single family.
That impact is reflected nationwide, as the United States recorded a fifth consecutive year of growth in organ transplants in 2025, with 49,064 procedures performed, according to UNOS, an encouraging sign of progress that also reinforces the continued need for donor registration.
“Behind every successful transplant is a family who, in their hardest moment, chose to give someone else a chance to live,” says Foster. “That deeply personal decision becomes a gift of time, allowing patients to keep their story going, to hold their loved ones a little longer and to hope for tomorrow.”
Even as organ transplants reach historic milestones, the critical shortage of donated organs remains, costing nearly 17 patients their lives each day while they wait for the gift of a transplant.
To mark the close of National Donate Life Month, STHS Edinburg gathered for a meaningful flagraising ceremony on Wednesday, April 29, coming together to honor the remarkable generosity of organ donors and the lives they have forever changed.
Held in partnership with the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA), the Texas Donor Network and the San Antonio Eye Bank, the event served as both a tribute to donors from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond, as well as a powerful reminder that their gifts continue to give hope, healing, and second chances to families everywhere.
Prior to the flagraising, attendees heard powerful stories from Jorge Garcia, 64, a twotime kidney transplant recipient diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 1996, and Cariño Sandoval, who bravely shared how she honored her young son’s wish to become an organ donor—ensuring his legacy lived on through others following his untimely passing in 2025.
“There is no greater pain than losing a child; it’s a loss that changes you forever,” says Sandoval. “But knowing that my son’s decision to be an organ donor has helped more than 80 people gives me comfort and purpose. His heart continues to beat in another, his gift has restored sight and healing to others, and his legacy now lives on across the country in the lives he touched. Through donation, a part of him is still here, still giving, still making a difference.”
During the event, Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa read a special proclamation from the City of Edinburg officially designating April as National Donate Life Month in the fourtime AllAmerica City, while encouraging the community to learn more about the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.
“Donation reminds us that even in our most painful moments, hope can still take root,” says Tom Castañeda, System Director of Marketing & Public Relations, STHS. “Through one selfless decision, families facing unimaginable loss give others the chance to keep living—to keep loving, dreaming, and moving forward. Donate Life Month is a call for all of us to come together, honor those gifts, and help give hope to the many who are still waiting for a second chance at life.”
In addition to the flagraising, remarks and proclamation reading, attendees had the opportunity to experience two meaningful tributes honoring the gift of donation. Guests viewed a special “Heroes of the Valley” photo gallery curated by the Texas Donor Network, as well as a traveling quilt display by the San Antonio Eye Bank featuring handcrafted patches created by the families of eye donors, each one telling a personal story of love, loss and legacy, while serving as a powerful reminder of how donors continue to give renewed life and hope to others.
To learn more about becoming an organ donor or to register, visit donatelifetexas.org.
