Live On Nebraska

11/21/2025

Agriculture is a way of life for many families in our area. For some farmers, exposure to dust and chemicals used to raise animals and grow crops can lead to health problems.

Today is National Rural Health Day. Live On Nebraska is proud to partner with Dr. Kristina Bailey at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to assist with research aimed to understand and help treat lung diseases associated with agricultural dust. Lungs that could not safely be transplanted are being used by Dr. Bailey to study how the body's immune system responds to agricultural dust, how carbon dioxide in hog confinement barns affects inflammation of the lungs, and if heavy alcohol use affects the body's response to agricultural dust, among others.

We are incredibly grateful to the donors and donor families who choose to participate in these and other research projects that contribute to better health here in Nebraska and around the world.

11/19/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month. Within the donation and transplantation ecosystem, Native communities have long demonstrated a spirit of giving, resilience, and strength. Yet they continue to face disparities in access to healthcare and transplantation. This month, we highlight the contributions of Native American donors and donor families whose selfless gifts have saved countless lives. We also raise awareness about the pressing need for organ, eye and tissue donors within Native American communities. 🧡

Christa Ogden’s journey is one of strength, faith, and perseverance. In 2006, shortly after the birth of her first child, Ava, Christa’s life changed unexpectedly. What began as severe abdominal pain led to the discovery of a serious gallbladder infection. During surgery, her common bile duct was accidentally cut, resulting in a long and difficult recovery. For nearly two decades, Christa has faced recurring infections, hospitalizations, and lasting complications. Despite these health challenges, she refused to let her condition define her life. While navigating her medical journey, Christa returned to school and made it her mission to raise her children surrounded by their Native community and culture.
In recent years, Christa’s health has declined as her liver damage has progressed, affecting her kidneys and other organs. Now, she is waiting for a liver transplant, the only treatment that can save her life. Through all of this, Christa remains deeply thankful for the simple blessings each day brings. When asked what a transplant would mean for her family, Christa shared that it would mean “my kids get their mama back.” For her, it represents the chance to live again, to go camping, fishing, hiking, and to enjoy life with her children. Christa hopes her story inspires others to consider living donation and to help save lives. “I wanted to share my struggles and be open about what I’m going through. I want people to apply to be a living donor.” Her courage and advocacy continue to inspire many within the Native American and transplant communities. 💙💚 Learn more about living donation at DonateLife.net. Thank you to The Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) for sharing this story!

11/15/2025

Today is ! ♻️ Recycling can go far beyond the trash can. Register to be a donor and give others the gift of life! https://liveonnebraska.org/register/

11/11/2025

On this Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women who have served our nation with courage, dedication, and selflessness. Join us in thanking those who have fought for our freedom. ❤️🤍💙

11/11/2025

As we remember and honor our loved ones this holiday season, you are invited to order a Celebrating the Gift holiday ornament and submit your donor hero or recipient's name to our virtual remembrance video. The video will be shared on our YouTube page later in December. To request an ornament and submit your and/or your loved one's name, please click the link: https://liveonnebraska.org/holiday/

11/10/2025

For nearly four decades, Galen Richards worked as a superintendent in commercial construction. Galen was the guy his bosses would turn to when a job needed to get done and get done quickly.

Now, Galen has a new job to do: find a kidney donor.

Galen is in late-stage kidney failure and needs a transplant. His best odds at getting a transplant are to find a living donor.

Galen suffers from polycystic kidney disease. His father had it and so does his brother. Two of his cousins died from the genetic condition.

Galen and his wife, Denise, have been married for 22 years. He is a father to one daughter and the proud owner of five welch corgis.

“Anything we get into, we call adventures. We make a good team," Galen said of his relationship with Denise.

A transplant would allow Galen and Denise to continue their adventures like finding and eating at hole-in-the wall restaurants, tending to the landscaping on their ranch, and caring for their corgis.

It's a request Galen doesn't take lightly.

"That kind of generosity is beyond description. It is brave, tremendously profound and the act of a phenomenal person. This would be a wonderful gift not only to me but to my family and may allow me a few more years to make whatever contribution I can. I would always carry the spirit of that person close to me, inside of me. I would always feel very close to them."

Galen is one of more than 90,000 people in the U.S. in need of a kidney transplant. Living donors can help ease that burden.

To learn more or be screened for living donation in Nebraska, visit https://www.nebraskamed.com/transplant/living-organ-donation.

11/08/2025

Donor Sabbath 2025 at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. A gift of life celebration.

11/08/2025

Attention teachers! Today is National STEM day! 🧪🫀🔍

Did you know Live On Nebraska provides in-person and virtual education opportunities for middle and high school students? Bring donation education and awareness to your classroom with hands-on demonstrations, meaningful conversations, and informative content.

Contact us at Education@LiveOnNebraska.org for more information!

11/07/2025

"Surely, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.

I am so thankful that even in this opportunity we can show our love, and our compassion, our hope and our faith through the ministry of giving, especially of organ donation."

- Reverend Charles Nelson, Zion Baptist Church

Tomorrow is our Donor Sabbath Celebration of Life. Join us for a spirited celebration of the gift of life featuring music, prayer and powerful testimonials. Stay after the service for a free Thanksgiving dinner catered by Rib Shack Smoke House and your chance to win one of our exciting raffle prizes — including Bath & Body Works bundles, Visa, gas, and grocery gift cards, headphones, and a brand-new HP Chromebook laptop!

📅 Saturday, November 8 | 4 PM
📍 Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, 2602 N 24th St, Omaha

11/05/2025

November is Eye Donation Month! 👁️

Did you know that corneal transplants are the most frequently performed transplant surgery across the United States?

More than 141,000 cornea donations took place in 2024 across the country, according to the Eye Bank Association of America.

Corneal transplants have the least chance of rejection, offer good availability of tissue, and don’t generally require special biomarkers to match with someone else, according to Dr. Ronald Krueger, McGaw Professor and Chair of the UNMC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, director of the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute and board member for the Lions Eye Bank of Nebraska.

Right here in the Cornhusker state, the Lions Eye Bank of Nebraska has recovered more than 2,500 grafts, giving recipients the gift of sight.

The Lions Eye Bank of Nebraska’s mission, restoring eyesight, would not be possible without organ and tissue donation, said Executive Director Karli Diggins.

“We’re very thankful for all the donors,” Diggins said. “This is an ongoing effort that greatly increases our ability to provide tissue for these life-healing surgeries.”

In addition to restoring sight to those in need, whole globes, or the entire eye, can also be donated to aid in research projects. One such project taking place at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is researching glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.

💙💚 Want to help support our local eye bank? Attend the Lions Eye Bank of Nebraska's Spirit Night at the Bellevue Chick-fil-A tomorrow from 5-7 p.m. See more details at https://www.facebook.com/share/17SGStYCYD/. 💚💙

11/01/2025

On a downtown Kearney wall, blue and green butterflies take flight, connecting two lives forever impacted by organ and tissue donation.

On one side of the mural, a green ribbon signifies a new start for Izzy Warrington. After 17 years of batting kidney disease, the Gibbon teen is experiencing life more fully after receiving a kidney transplant.

On the other side, a blue ribbon for Abby, a tiny hero whose light shines on in the lives of the children she saved with her gift of life.

The mural stands as a colorful testament to the strength and resilience of donors, their families and recipients, and the transformational power of organ and tissue donation.

Read more about Izzy and Abby at https://liveonnebraska.org/news/gift-of-life-mural/.

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from Live On Nebraska! 🎃🍬🧡 We hope you have a safe and spooky day!