PADUCAH — Doctors, nurses and hospitalists from Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital and Baptist Health Paducah came together Wednesday to remember Vanessa Dallas, a former family liaison for the Kentucky Organ Affiliates (KODA).
Hospital officials recognized Vanessa Dallas for her 25 years of service connecting families with organ donors on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Dallas said more than 1,000 people in Kentucky are waiting for an organ transplant.
In her new role as an educator at KODA, Dallas trains individuals how to connect families with potential organ donors, a job she has been involved in for 25 years. During her time as a family liaison, Dallas has saved 122 lives.
While Dallas was surprised by the ceremony, he noted that efforts to connect families with organ donors continue.
Vanessa Dallas passed away on Wednesday, September 4. She saved over 122 lives by connecting families with organ donors. Dallas will now transition to being an Educator/Trainer with KODA, teaching others the job she has excelled at for over 20 years.
“Organ donation is actually a very rare event,” Dallas said, “It doesn't happen that often, but when it does happen, it's important to take care of these families who are going through a difficult process and giving the gift of life to another person.”
According to KODAMore than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, 1,000 of whom are Kentuckians. Dallas said one donor can impact up to 20 lives. She said most organ donors typically donate hearts, lungs or pancreases, but Dallas noted the range of organs that can be donated is much broader.
“Organ donation can potentially save up to eight lives,” Dallas says, “and tissue donation can benefit more than 100 people from one tissue donor. This can mean anything from restoring sight to two different people; it can be the same as donating bone tissue or skin to a severely burned patient or a heart valve to a young person with congenital heart disease.”
Vanessa Dallas and Michael Chambler embrace in a photo taken at Dallas's tribute ceremony. Chambler's son passed away in 2015, and his wish was to become an organ donor. Dallas worked with Chambler to make his wish come true.
Michael Chambler was one of the many people who attended Dallas' funeral, and in a moving speech, he spoke of Dallas' unwavering dedication to fulfilling his son's wish to become an organ donor after his death.
Michael's son, Cam Chambler, died in 2015. After Cam's death, Michael said he didn't know he'd registered as an organ donor when he got his driver's license. Michael made it his mission to make sure Cam's wish came true.
“It caught me off guard,” Chambler said. “To be honest, I had never really thought much about it, but now I'm a huge supporter, having seen how he's saved countless lives.”
Michael Chambler's son, Cam Chambler, passed away in 2015. He was 20 years old at the time of his death. This photo shows Cam playing for McCracken County High School where he was considered a star player by many.
Michael said it had been difficult to get over the grief of losing his son, but after helping other families receive his son's organs, he now plays a key role in encouraging people to register as organ donors.
Cam's liver, heart, pancreas and lungs were donated to various families in Kentucky.
“It helps you heal,” Chambler said, “You never get over it, but as a father, one of the biggest fears when you lose a child is that people will forget he even existed. The people who received his organs, we've met them all, and they're like family to us. Now we don't have that worry.”
Dallas said one of the challenges in obtaining organs for transplant patients is contacting people who can donate. One of the easiest ways to become a donor is to register when applying for a state ID or driver's license, she said.
People interested in donating their organs can also register as organ donors through Donate Life Kentucky. https://registermeky.org/
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