When Jon McSorley got the call that a donor liver was available, he had just hours to get from Minneapolis to Cincinnati for surgery. With the last flight overbooked, a Delta Air Lines employee stepped in, and 15–20 passengers volunteered their seats to help him make it home in time. Seven years later, Jon joins us on 'This Thing Called Life' to share his story and thank the strangers who helped him make it to his lifesaving transplant! Help us get this story to Delta and thank the incredible people who made it possible! 🎙️Hear Jon's full story tune into the latest episode. 🎧 Listen: bit.ly/4Bj2Kyn 📺 Watch: bit.ly/3TSeqYa

From overwhelming moments at the @mayoclinic to an unexpected race to get home for a lifesaving liver transplant, Jon McSorley has quite the story to tell. You won’t want to miss this heartfelt conversation on ‘This Thing Called Life’ with host Andi Johnson. 🎧 Full episode drops Tuesday!

A handwritten letter, five years of waiting, 13 years of memories and a whole lot of gratitude. After receiving a lifesaving liver transplant in 2013, Nancy has celebrated countless moments with the people she loves. In her own heartfelt words, Nancy shares what the gift of life has meant to her and her family. To learn more about organ, tissue and eye donation or register as a donor, visit NetworkForHope.org

Tomorrow night, Betsy Layne and Belfry take the field under the Friday night lights. 🏈 Through our partnership with KHSAA, Network for Hope is proud to sponsor this matchup and share the lifesaving mission of organ, tissue and eye donation with communities across Kentucky. 💚 Every “yes” to donation has the potential to save and heal lives. 📍 Betsy Layne at Belfry 📅 Friday, Oct. 16 | 7:30 p.m.

“¡Gracias a todos!” - Bryan, Liver Recipient

A great graphic from our friends at @AOPOHQ showing the three teams that make up the life-saving mission to save and heal lives through organ, tissue, and eye donation. While collaboration is crucial to fulfilling that mission, each team plays a distinct role in the process. To learn more about the process, visit aopo.org.

For the first 492 days of his life, Tamarion Paul never went home. Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare and complex congenital heart defect, Tamarion underwent heart surgery just days after he was born. When doctors determined he needed a heart transplant, a ventricular assist device helped keep his heart pumping while he waited for more than a year. On April 13, 2026, Tamarion received a new heart. His recovery wasn’t easy, but after 492 days at Norton Children’s Hospital, 16-month-old Tamarion finally got to leave the hospital and go home with his family. “I’m ready for him to meet family members he’s never even had a chance to meet,” his mom, Keiara, shared. Now, his family is looking forward to the things they have waited nearly a year and a half to experience together: family photos, time at home, and watching Tamarion grow up alongside his siblings. “My hopes for him are to just live his life to the fullest. Whatever he wants to do, I hope he gets to be a kid and enjoy life.” Story and photo credit: @NortonChildrens

Network for Hope was proud to be the game sponsor recently for the @uofl vs. Wake Forest football game. We came together to recognize Alex Berrios, a two-time kidney transplant recipient. His second transplant happened in February of this year.

At just 16, Taylor made a decision that would go on to save five lives. After her life was tragically cut short, Taylor’s generosity gave others a second chance. Her kindness continues to make a difference, just as she would have wanted. 🎥 Video credit to our friends at @DonateLifeCO

Tissue donors can make breast reconstruction after breast cancer possible, helping survivors heal physically and regain a sense of wholeness after treatment. Beyond breast reconstruction, donated tissue can help heal people with severe burns, repair bones, tendons and ligaments, restore mobility and improve quality of life. One tissue donor can heal the lives of more than 75 people.

Understanding who does what during organ donation matters. A patient’s hospital medical team is responsible for providing lifesaving care. The determination of death is made independently by medical professionals according to established medical and legal standards. Network for Hope does not determine when a patient has died. Only after death has been determined by doctors can the donation process proceed. These are separate parts of the process, with safeguards in place to protect patients, respect donation decisions and ensure donation is carried out according to established standards. If you have questions about organ donation, we encourage you to ask them and learn how the process works. networkforhope.org/about-us/…

Your liver can be damaged long before you notice symptoms. An estimated 80 to 100 million Americans are affected by fatty liver disease, and for some, liver disease can progress to liver failure and the need for a transplant. Today, 8,895 people in the U.S. are waiting for a lifesaving liver transplant. This Liver Awareness Month, take a step to protect your own liver health and learn how you can help others. Take the American Liver Foundation liver health quiz on their website and consider registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor at networkforhope.org. Living liver donation is also possible and can help someone receive a lifesaving transplant sooner.

“A really good week transitioning to a new month. Doesn’t seem possible how fast the year is flying by. We served 925 meals and gave out 129 bags of emergency food. We were very blessed to have Network for Hope not only sponsor a meal but have volunteers come and help serve. Thank you as always to our dedicated hardworking volunteers, to our University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine students who come and help along with Denny Rohrer who brings us bread weekly. We are so thankful we have been given the opportunity to serve our community. We love our people.” - Grace Community Kitchen in Pikeville.

With more than 110,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, increasing awareness of donation across all communities matters. Race and ethnicity do not determine whether someone can be a donor or recipient, but blood and tissue characteristics used in matching can be inherited. A more diverse donor pool can increase the chances of finding a strong match for some patients. Every person waiting is waiting for a match.

A remarkable story from @people. Full article: people.com/man-s-kidney-dona…

On World Heart Day, we’re grateful for Debbie and Rick Wieland, who created the Wieland Heartbeat Bear program nearly 10 years ago in memory of their son and donor hero, Ricky Wieland. 💚 Each bear holds something deeply personal: a recording of a loved one’s heartbeat. In 2025 alone, our Family Support team delivered 750 Wieland Heartbeat Bears to donor families, giving them a way to hear that heartbeat again and keep it close. Nearly a decade later, Ricky’s legacy continues with every beat. 💙

Brenda Sue Ward had a servant’s heart. As a medical social worker, she saw people during some of their hardest moments and quietly looked for ways to help. Her sister, Debra, remembers Brenda buying food, clothing and whatever else patients and their families needed. One winter, Brenda learned that the elderly spouse of a patient was at the hospital with nothing on his feet but socks. That evening, she went shopping and bought him new socks and shoes. It was simply who Brenda was. “Warmth radiated from her,” Debra shared. Brenda spent her life serving others, and as an organ donor, that spirit of generosity continued after her death. For Debra, Brenda’s decision to donate was another reflection of the faith and compassion that guided the way she lived. “Once again she is serving others just as Jesus did.” Today, her family remembers a sister whose life was defined by caring for others and whose servant’s heart became part of the legacy she left behind.

From our friends at @AOPOHQ: "In a letter published by The New York Times, AOPO President Allison Erickson, responds to a recent opinion piece that raises concerns about the safety, ethics, and oversight of the nation’s organ donation system. Serious concerns deserve to be thoroughly investigated and addressed. But individual allegations should not be used to define an entire national system or the thousands of professionals who work every day to save lives, honor donors and donor families, and uphold the trust placed in them. AOPO supports transparency, accountability, and continued improvement across the donation and transplant system, while ensuring conversations about donation accurately reflect the safeguards, oversight, and practices in place to protect patients and the integrity of the donation process." Read Allison’s letter to the editor, published in The New York Times: lnkd.in/ehM_NnTx