Organ transplants transform lives and reshape futures—and these life-saving procedures wouldn’t be possible without a selfless decision from an organ donor.
At Help Hope Live, our nonprofit helps transplant candidates, recipients, and donors to fundraise for the gift of life. We are passionate about sharing some of the moving personal quotes and reflections shared with us from within our transplant community as well as from public figures and celebrities.
Updated in April 2026
Best Quotes About Organ Donation from Our Community
These quotes are from Help Hope Live clients and community members to celebrate our collective gratitude at the impact of organ donation:
“To fellow transplant patients: never give up hope. You might go through 50 candidates for a transplant and none of them are matches, but maybe 51 is. You can’t give up. You must keep moving forward.” -Help Hope Live client and kidney transplant recipient Josh Raymond
“My living kidney donor has the biggest heart, and she had no qualms about becoming a living kidney donor. We were already close before, but now, we are family.” -Help Hope Live client and kidney transplant recipient Josh Raymond
“One of the misconceptions about transplants is the public’s image of someone needing a transplant and miraculously getting transplanted within the hour of a TV show. That’s not how it works at all. Most people don’t realize just how many of us need a transplant, and how long those transplant waiting lists really are.” -Help Hope Live client and kidney transplant recipient Josh Raymond
“The most surprising thing about life after transplant today is how normal everything feels. I don’t think about being a transplant patient. I have been able to do much more than I ever could prior to transplant. While there are some adjustments and accommodations, for the most part, I do what I always did prior to transplant.” -Help Hope Live client and heart transplant recipient Karen Hope
“Living with a functioning kidney post-transplant has really helped me, mentally and physically. I want to help people if I can, whether it’s encouragement or info on how to get patient assistance and afford their medications with Help Hope Live.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Joanna McCray
“After getting a transplant, I have so much more energy and stamina. I can climb stairs without getting winded. I can play hide-and-seek with my nephews. I’ve been able to return to working after six years. I can walk, talk, and breathe all at the same time. I spend a lot more of my day living instead of lying in bed.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Barnett
“I’ve always tried to live life to the fullest that I can, but even more so now that I have been given life twice. I try to live every day with gratitude.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Barnett
“A transplant is not a cure—it is trading a fatal illness for one that is more manageable. Transplant life is so beautiful, but it can be hard. I work really hard to honor my gift and protect my organs.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Barnett
“Because of my living donor’s generosity, and the help of organizations like Help Hope Live, we are both here today to tell our story and encourage others.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Casperite
“There is a very special bond between recipients and donors. We wouldn’t be here living the lives we are without them. We all help each other. No one who isn’t a donor or recipient, even medical professionals, knows what you have been through.
Every donor I have ever met has said if they could grow another kidney to donate, they would.
I am blessed to be so close to my own donor, Maria—a stranger who saw my need on a Facebook post. She can see the difference she made in my life every day, and I live every day to honor her gift.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Casperite
“I thought I would feel different after transplant, but I still feel like just me—but now, I have an amazing kidney sister to thank for my every day.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Casperite
“Members of my family have had three major hospitalizations since 2017, and my transplant has allowed me to be by their sides to advocate and care for them. I was able to return to full-time work after my transplant while continuing to volunteer with causes that I care about.
After my transplant, I became the support system for several people who received their transplants after me.
In the past two and a half years, my husband and I have started traveling, which we love. At the end of 2024, I went back to Germany for the first time in 25 years and was able to visit with family there, which was very meaningful.” –Help Hope Live client Ambassador Liz Casperite
“Tanis, our oldest daughter, is giving her father Tim the gift of life back so he can be here longer with us. This is a life-changing moment for our family and the most incredible gift, not only to Tim for more life but to Tanis for becoming the one to give her daddy more life.” -Wife of Help Hope Live client Tim Fuller
“My dad is my best friend and my rock. He raised me, and I figured becoming a living donor would be a tiny way to pay him back for all he has done for me.” -Tanis, daughter and living donor to Help Hope Live client Tim Fuller
“I was surprised by how easy it was! The living donor testing process was a lot of bloodwork and waiting, but it was really well-organized, and I felt so supported by the transplant team. I never felt lost or like I didn’t understand the expectations and road ahead.
My advice to anyone interested in pursuing living donation is to ask questions and take the full support of your transplant team. They truly care and want you to make the best decision possible.” -Tanis, daughter and living donor to Help Hope Live client Tim Fuller
“When Ben was still on life support and we learned his only route to recovery would likely be a lung transplant, I was presented with the predicament that our health coverage would not cover most of the lung transplant and any related costs (which continue for life). These estimated costs were overwhelming, potentially several million if he had any complications. I was completely blown away by our community’s response to this, and several fundraisers were started by friends and even strangers! I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has contributed and showed up for our family in a very scary time.
While Ben still has a lot of healing left to do, he is getting more energy by the day. And he is already finding creative ways to work while following all of the new rules that come with a transplant. So thank you from the bottom of my heart- we are reading every note from each of you and feeling the love.” -Wife of Help Hope Live client and lung transplant recipient Ben Askren
“There is one thing I know about my donor: no matter what they did while they were here on Earth, they died a hero. They saved my life, and that’s a debt I can never repay.” -Help Hope Live client and pancreas transplant recipient John Wilson
“I believe hope is incredibly important, especially in the world of transplants.” -Help Hope Live client Ambassador and heart transplant recipient Pat McEntee
“A lot of what I do is to honor my donor. I still can’t believe I am able to do all of this thanks to my donor. Every day, I think about it in one way or another.” -Help Hope Live client Ambassador and heart transplant recipient Bill Soloway
“I got the lungs of an angel—a hero—lungs that were a perfect match for me. I have a newfound and deep appreciation for organ donors and their families. There is nothing that I can do or say to thank them enough. But what I can do is celebrate my donor and their family for their selfless sacrifice. I can do that by talking about them, advocating for organ donation, and living life to its fullest potential.” -Anonymous member of the Help Hope Live community
“I never used to pay that much attention to organ donation, but I’m tremendously glad for it: it turned out that I was one of the ones in need. I hope my donor’s family will be blessed a thousand times for their sacrifice.” -Help Hope Live client and kidney transplant recipient Karl Black
“We are thanking God for our organ donor. What gave one family utter despair gave us great joy.” -Rach Thurston, wife of Help Hope Live client and kidney transplant recipient Tom Thurston
“To me, transplant represents life and hope. Although none of us know when we may lose our life, my husband’s transplant gave us hope that we may be able to spend many more years together with each other and our families.” -Maxine Billings, wife of Help Hope Live client and liver transplant recipient Tony Billings
“When I think back on my life just four years ago, the circumstances were dire. I wasn’t sure if I would still be alive in six months—now, I’m a mommy, all because someone said yes to being an organ donor.” -Help Hope Live client and living donor liver transplant recipient Amanda Washek
“2 years of new, abundant life. So thankful for my donor who selflessly risked her life and took so much time away from her life, and pain on her body… to save me. You’re my living angel and the best friend anyone could dream of.
To my surgeons and doctors who meticulously knit me back together. To my Savior who saw fit to give me this life, twice. And my family (blood and not) who loved me and continue to love me through this transplant journey. I am so thankful for each of you.
I have a past, present, AND a future and that’s something not everyone can say. PLEASE, donate life.” -Help Hope Live client and living donor liver transplant recipient Amanda Washek
“Three other lives were saved that night by my donor, my hero, and I was given a new heart and a new start. My light shines even brighter now.” -Help Hope Live client and heart transplant recipient Renee Houghton
“He feels a duty to honor the gift he has been given, the donor, and the donor’s family. He sees life in a whole new perspective now—he will not take for granted one second of his new beginning.” -Deborah Curry, wife of Help Hope Live client and heart & kidney transplant recipient Mark Curry
“When it comes to understanding the transplant journey and discovering the truth about transplantation, open your heart and open your mind. Oh, and put that special designation on your driver’s license!” –Nelson Omar Freytes, founder of Transplant News
“I was ‘recalled to life’ by this gift from my donor’s family. I recently had the joy of connecting with his mother—her son’s lungs live in me, and I am grateful every day.” -Help Hope Live client and lung transplant recipient Nancy Kyllingstad
“I have not only been touched by transplant; I have been saved by a transplant. I know that I am one of the lucky ones, and I am forever grateful for this. My brother made the greatest sacrifice to give me the greatest gift. There is no greater gift than donating life.” -Help Hope Live client and living donor kidney transplant recipient Jessie Hallowell
“This was the greatest gift our family could ever receive.” -Help Hope Live client Victor Melendez on receiving a deceased donor’s kidney
“Every day I wake up thankful for the opportunity my dad has given me.” -Help Hope Live client Christopher Anthony Zerfass on receiving a kidney from his father
“I want to let the donor and their family know they are giving a gift only they, God, and the medical teams can give. [It is] a gift there are no words for. Thank you just doesn’t say enough.” -Children of Help Hope Live client Monty Scott on the donor heart their father is waiting for
“In my eyes, the donor family was so brave to go through such a time while also making decisions that would forever change my life and the lives of possibly many others.” -Help Hope Live client Kathe Wimberly Neely on gratitude for her donor family that made her kidney/pancreas transplant possible
“My kidney donor exemplified unconditional love toward me. She did the most selfless thing one can do for another: she was willing to lay down her life as she donated one of her kidneys to me.” -Help Hope Live client James Michael McLester on his “angel” living kidney donor and best friend Laura Workman
“I believe we got married for a reason: she was sent down from heaven to be my angel.”-Help Hope Live client Derek Avillanoza on receiving a kidney from his wife
Best Organ Donation Quotes from Celebrities
“It was immediately clear to me that I should [become a kidney donor.] It just seemed like an obvious thing to do.” -Jesse Eisenberg, actor and altruistic kidney donor
“I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus…It was what I needed to do for my overall health. There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed.” -Selena Gomez, actor and transplant recipient
“The decision to become a donor can save up to eight lives and enhance many more—men, women, and children who depend on the generosity and sacrifice of others. I encourage individuals of all ages and backgrounds to consider this unique opportunity to help those in need and to discuss this choice with friends and family.” -Barack Obama, former President of the United States
“You are a piece of the puzzle of someone else’s life. You may never know where you fit, but others will fill the holes in their lives with pieces of you.” -Bonnie Arbon, writer
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” -John Wooden, basketball coach
“The measure of life is not its duration but its donation.” -Peter Marshall, entertainer
“There will be a time when all of the pieces will fit together.” -Nitya Prakesh, writer
“Act as if what you do will make a difference. It does.” -William James, philosopher and psychologist
“I would donate whatever anybody would take.” -George Clooney, actor
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” -Muhammad Ali, boxer
“Life fractures us all into little pieces. It harms us, but it’s how we glue those fractures back together that make us stronger.” -Carrie Jones, writer
“You know that family is going to be there for you no matter what—my dad gave me a freakin’ kidney! But it’s also the families that you create outside of your family.” -Sarah Hyland, actor and transplant recipient
“You have to be a certain level of sick to receive a transplant. I was reaching that certain level of sick. I was not able to be awake for like eight hours at a time. I was so exhausted all the time so I would be on set filming and I would be dead asleep, my head on the table.” -Sarah Hyland, actor and transplant recipient
“The only gift is a portion of thyself.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson, author and poet
“Have you had a kindness shown?
‘Twas not given for thee alone.
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another’s tears,
Till in Heaven the deed appears,
Pass it on, pass it on.
Did you hear the loving word?
Like the singing of a bird?
Let its music live and grow,
Let it cheer another’s woe,
You have reaped what others sow,
Pass it on, pass it on.
Hold your lighted lamp on high,
Be a star in someone’s sky,
He may live who else would die,
Pass it on, pass it on!”
-Excerpts from “Have you had a kindness shown?” hymn, Reverend Henry Burton
Touched by Transplant: Terri and Bruce
One of our Help Hope Live staff members was personally impacted by the gift of life.
In February 2020, Terri Carlson from our Finance Department lost her husband, Bruce Carlson, an accomplished professional, dog lover, home DIYer, home chef, golfer, and, above all, exceptionally loving husband and father. “He was a giving person who would always be the first to help anyone in need,” explained Terri. “Bruce elected to be an organ donor a long time ago. When we learned from his doctors that he had no chance of survival, my kids and I met with a representative from the Gift of Life Donor Program.
That rep was so compassionate as my kids faced their first real-life adult decisions. We made the decision together, and we gained a sense of comfort knowing that we were honoring Bruce’s wishes. We knew that he would live on in others, which gave all of us a sense of purpose within what seemed like a senseless loss.”
Terri learned that her family would receive a letter every time Bruce helped someone—some donor families receive notices up to 15 years after the donation takes place.
On April 22, two months after Bruce passed away, Terri received the first letter.
Get Help with Transplant Costs
If you or someone you care about is struggling with the out-of-pocket costs of a transplant, our nonprofit Help Hope Live can provide support.
We help start community-based fundraising campaigns for transplant patients backed by one-on-one fundraising help, medical verification, tax-deductible donations, and other unique nonprofit benefits.
If you are not able to fundraise, or not interested, you might still be able to find help from our Transplant Resource Directory – a free, hand-vetted PDF developed by our team:
Donate to a Transplant Charity
We believe that no individual or family should be denied the gift of life due to finances. That’s why our nonprofit mission is so important: it provides a way for transplant candidates and recipients to engage in safe, trusted, community-led fundraising to make transplants possible.
Partner with us in believing in hope and supporting transplant patients nationwide.
