02/15/2026
This winter, a snowstorm buried parts of North Carolina under nearly 19 inches of snow. Most people stayed home.
HonorBridge Organ Donation Coordinator Melisha Goenner did not.
“I went to open my back door, and there was so much snow that my door pushed the snow away from the house,” she said. Still, she packed a bag and drove for hours on icy roads because a potential donor and their family were waiting.
At the hospital, the donor’s grandmother told Melisha that if donation didn't work out, it would break her heart all over again.
“That was all she had to say to me,” Melisha recalled. “If I had to drive across the state, I would...I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that this happened.”
In the middle of the storm, the donor was airlifted to Duke Hospital by Duke Life Flight. Melisha personally drove a critical lab sample to Winston-Salem when no couriers could travel. And though she wasn’t scheduled, HonorBridge ODC Meg Whitaker volunteered to receive the donor and stayed in the OR until 4 a.m.
“That weekend was hard...," said Meg. "But what stood out the most was the humanity. People refused to quit. Plans were rebuilt over and over. Time, comfort, and convenience were sacrificed so that organ donation could be honored.”
Because they didn’t give up, five lives were saved—including two children.
At HonorBridge, we are here 24/7/365. We will exhaust every resource, drive every mile, and overcome every obstacle to honor donors and save lives.
👉 Click the link to read the full story: https://honorbridge.org/blog-featured/through-the-storm-the-story-of-a-promise-kept/
Duke Life Flight
Association of Organ Procurement Organizations - AOPO
