Tennessee Door Services announced that 2023 was a record year for organ and tissue donations in the state.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Every organ donor can save up to eight lives and improve an additional 75 lives through tissue donation.
“My pre-transplant journey has truly been my entire life,” Billy Jarvis said. “I grew up with a family history of kidney disease, so my mom and her siblings were on dialysis and transplants when I was growing up. And I went to college here at UT. I started suffering from a similar disease. “I developed symptoms and had a transplant at the age of 21. Fortunately, I was able to maintain it for about 31 years.” Like many recipients, I got infected with COVID-19 and my kidneys failed…one of my best friends stepped up and we sort of It is an exchange type transaction. ”
Jarvis said he has had three kidney transplants, the last in July last year. He said he joined the exchange network with his friends.
“He just wasn’t right for me,” Jarvis said. “But he gave it to someone in California…I got it from a young man in Minnesota. I mean, years ago, that didn’t exist. So now this kind of network exists. Masu.”
He said he was grateful for the second chance.
“While I was still in college, it gave me the opportunity to be a husband, father, coach, teacher, and ultimately work here and hopefully touch the daily lives of people who are going through the same thing.” I want to make an impact.’ My family went through that,” he said. “And it’s a huge blessing to meet all of these donor families and be a part of their lives, and my story just intertwines with those two.”
He said his father tried to donate a kidney, but it was not accepted. He ultimately received a kidney transplant from a man who had died in 1991.
“I have had to live an incredible life for the past 34 years or so. I am 54 years old and never thought I would live to be 30. There’s no reason why I can’t do it when I’m 75 or 80,” he said. “In 1991, his legacy lives on, all these years later, and I have continued to honor and honor that wish and his gift. I strive to be the best person I can be as I am able to impact lives and pursue my passions. Because that’s exactly what giving is all about. One family experiences tragedy and donates to another family. And you know, I happen to be one of the lucky ones. You have a chance to get that gift. ”
Tennessee Door Services announced that 2023 was a record year for organ and tissue donations in the state.
“I’ve been here almost a quarter of a century, 24 years now,” Jarvis said. “And when I started, we had less than 100 donors and about 307 organs transplanted this year. You know, we had five 506 donor heroes and 1,369 transplanted organs and saved many lives.”
Last Saturday’s game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt also served as the kickoff for the fourth annual tournament. #BeTheGift Showdown. The event launched a statewide organ donation registration challenge.
“I think this is really important as a team,” Tennessee men’s basketball assistant coach Greg Polinsky said. “I think our players realize what that means, and I know our coaching staff and the University of Tennessee understand that as well.”
Tennessee Donor Services announced that more than 170,000 Tennesseans registered as organ donors last year.
“I’m one of them. At my age, I don’t know if anyone would want my organs,” Polinsky said. “But it is something, a gift to life.”
