LifeCenter Northwest

04/30/2026

💙💙 Every day is 💚💚

Donor heroes and their families embody the true spirit of generosity. Thanks to them, the lives on.

04/28/2026

Isaak lived life fiercely. He argued articulately. Loved beyond measure. Protected the people he cared about with the same intensity he brought to every opinion, every passion and every expression of his individuality.

When they were children, Isaak’s sister, Almitra, once described him to their mother as a marshmallow — “crusty on the outside, squishy on the inside.” Behind his sharp wit lived a deep sensitivity.

Isaak was a registered organ donor, which came as no surprise to his family. It feels fitting that something so extraordinary came from someone so singular.

“We wanted to donate his organs because that’s what he wanted,” says Gloria, Isaak's mother. “You guys (at LifeCenter Northwest) were right there every step of the way.”

Many people don’t realize how rare organ donation actually is, she explains. So many things must align. Age doesn’t matter. Background doesn’t matter. The opportunity itself is uncommon.

Isaak’s liver and kidneys saved three people. “Part of my son is alive in these three men,” Gloria adds.

Even in the middle of grief, small moments stood out. Almitra remembers the family support person from LifeCenter Northwest who stayed with them at the hospital. “He had fun socks,” she says.

Isaak had strong opinions his entire life and never hesitated to challenge ideas he thought were small-minded. When one of his passionate arguments stretched too far, Almitra — ever the older sister — would push back.

“Don’t you think you’re being narrow-minded?”

“You’re a speedbump in my mental process,” he shot back — a line she still remembers with a smile.

He poured that same intensity into music, playing Bach on the piano and picking up his acoustic guitar whenever he could.

He loved plants, too. On a trip to Arizona, he spotted a tiny baby cactus and asked his mom for a pot so he could help it grow. It was a prickly pear — technically a w**d. Today, it towers in Gloria’s yard.

“He was kind of like a prickly pear,” she says with a laugh.

A little prickly, maybe — but also protective, generous and fiercely loyal. At his memorial, people returned again and again to how deeply Isaak cared for those he loved.

He was loved just as deeply in return — for all his faults and all his sweetness. His special “Isaak blend.”

The family hasn’t met the three men whose lives Isaak saved. They don’t know their names, but they hope those men are living fully.

“He would be so happy he helped other people,” Almitra says. “He’d be proud.”

04/27/2026

Donor Remembrance Day is this Thursday, April 30. You can "plant" your own forget-me-not dedication to your donor hero in Association of Organ Procurement Organizations - AOPO's virtual garden. (Link is in the comments.)

Below is a beautiful tribute to donor hero, Todd Wasserman, from his mother:

"My son Todd was smart, exceptionally talented and humble. He led a life dedicated to helping others through work, friendship and Community. Among other things, he donated his time and energy to cleaning up the environment, saving animals and cooking and baking for friends. But most importantly, he gave of himself through his donations of his hair to children with cancer, blood donations, and finally with organ donation. My son lived his life with intention never putting the spotlight on himself and achieving more than most of us could ever hope to do."
~Maxine, Todd's mother

04/25/2026

Today, in partnership with ServeMontana, we honored Montana’s 73 donor heroes who gave life to others last year. Each of their families were presented with a Gift of Life certificate signed by Governor Greg Gianforte, recognizing the rare and remarkable gifts of their loved ones.

💙 At the ceremony, we spoke with Laurie Weeding whose late husband, Dave, became an organ donor in February 2025. Dave was a beloved husband, father and “poppy.” His liver saved another grandfather from Texas who cherishes every extra day he is given. Laura and her family have plans to meet Dave’s recipient next month.

💚 The family of a young mother named Kaitlin also attended the event. Her donation saved the lives of three people.

It’s always a gift to hear your loved one’s stories, laugh, share memories — and yes, even a few tears. Thank you to all the families who joined us in support of their loved ones’ lifesaving legacy.

04/24/2026

This Pediatric Transplant Week, we’re honoring our youngest donor heroes like Kaylea Curry — and their families who turn unimaginable loss into lifesaving hope.

More than 2,000 children in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Because of families like the Currys, more children get a second chance.

“You don’t really think about, you know, making that decision for your child,“ explaind Christy Curry, Kaylea's mother. ”So, we knew that we wanted to do everything that we could to make her life, to be able to extend to someone else. And it was a hard decision, but it wasn’t one that we hesitated on, knowing that it’s five days before Christmas, and it’s something she would have wanted."

https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2026/04/23/alaska-family-remembers-kaylea-curry-whose-organ-donations-saved-lives/ //

To commemorate National Pediatric Transplant week, the family of Kaylea Curry is remembering their lost loved one.

04/23/2026

Isabella “Bella” Rose lit up the world with her love, laughter and passion for dance. Bella's mother, Amanda Gonzalez, says she embraced life with every fiber of her being.

Tragically, in June of 2022, Bella passed away in her home after she collapsed while dancing.

The Gonzalez family discovered she had been living with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a condition that escalates the risk of sudden death due to irregular heart rhythms, particularly during physical activity.

This prompted genetic testing for all family members, revealing that Bella’s older brother, Xavier, also shared a similar heart condition.

“Without Bella, this condition may have remained undetected until it was too late. Bella saved her brother’s life.”

Bella's altruism extended beyond her passing – she became a donor and gave the healing gift of sight to a teacher.

“Honoring Bella by giving others a reason to smile and keep faith has truly kept our family going. Our dancing butterfly is a hero, miracle worker and angel in the most literal sense of the word. She will forever be loved, cherished and honored for many lifetimes to come.”

Thank you to Donate Life America for sharing Bella's story. 💙💚

04/22/2026

Ginny Fagerstrom, born and raised in Nome, Alaska, describes herself as part of a community of “Inupiaq grandmas and Gold Rush grandpas.”

Her life has been defined by family, friendship and community, values that she says are central to her Inupiaq culture. Those same values shaped her experience with a life-changing double lung transplant.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sponsor-story/lifecenter-northwest/2026/04/01/a-gift-beyond-words-alaska-native-woman-shares-life-after-lung-transplant/89349059007/

Talking with your loved ones about organ donation is one of the most powerful ways to help save lives. Learn about one Alaska Native woman’s transplant story.

04/19/2026

This week is and we're celebrating our youngest donor heroes and recipients by sharing their stories.

Kaylea Curry, from Fairbanks, Alaska, was an inquisitive 10-year-old girl who spoke her mind and inspired her family of seven to walk their own paths and dare to be different.

“She was kind, she was honest to a fault, she would say exactly what she thought even if it probably wasn’t the right thing to say at the time, but she was very loving, very creative, very quirky,” says her mom, Christy Curry.

She loved animals. You could find her snuggling her Border Collie, Sadie, or Lila, her guinea pig. She would be silly and rub her face on your arm like a kitten to show much she loved you. Kaylea preferred the feel of soft things and refused to wear jeans for a year and half, opting instead for fleece pants. She had no concern for fashion.

Kaylea also possessed a strong spirit. She was outspoken and wanted to be a warrior. But not just any warrior — she wanted to be like Link, her hero in the video game The Legend of Zelda.

“Definitely not the princess,” says Christy. “She was a force of nature so much stronger than this earthly body could contain.”

Kaylea had a medical condition that cut her life short. But Christy shares that Kaylea wasn’t taken in vain. This gift was given from a place of love, faith and hope as Kaylea’s final quest as the warrior she embodied, saving the lives of several others through the donation of her kidneys, liver, and heart valves. She also restored the sight of two children with the donation of her corneas.

One of Kaylea’s kidney recipients, Ron, a man from Washington state, wrote a letter to her family expressing his gratitude for Kaylea’s gift that saved him from a lifelong struggle with diabetes. What was even more special about his letter was that he shared his love of books and literature. Kaylea, a bookworm herself, would read 4-5 books at a time.

Ron ended his letter with “Believe me when I say, beautiful Kaylea is here. She lives. She is loved. I did not know her, but she is a part of me now. She is, literally … Hope.”

The Currys are proud of their daughter who always lived life out loud, and they’re grateful to know that Kaylea made life possible for so many other families. That’s the legacy of a true warrior.

04/18/2026

Lily Clemens’ story began with a second chance — one made possible by a stranger’s selfless decision.

"In March 2005, when I was just nine months old, an anonymous liver donor changed my life forever.

After I had spent months being sick in the hospital, my recovery felt fast and magical to the people around me. Now, as the years have gone by, I realize how fortunate I am to have received such a perfect match and a second chance at life. Because someone else made the decision to be a donor, I get to grow up, start a family, and have a career of my own.

I am so lucky to be so healthy. While I might not know the person or the family who gave me my liver, I still think about them all the time. The idea that such a tragedy for another family could give me the chance to experience life is hard to process, but I know I will never take their gift for granted.

A stranger’s decision over two decades ago gave me this chance, and it will not be wasted."

04/17/2026

Anchorage Daily News published an editorial from Joshua Ahsoak, senior staff attorney for the Alaska Native Justice Center and LifeCenter Northwest Governing Board member. In the article, Joshua shares his view that registering as an organ donor — and sharing that decision with family members — is one of the most powerful ways to leave a legacy and provide a light during a dark time for loved ones.

Joshua is Inupiaq from Utqiaġvik, and he believes that the decision to become an organ donor is aligned with the spirit of giving inherent to his Alaska Native community:

“If you only take from without giving back, the community eventually ceases to exist,” he writes. “Organ donation is the ultimate expression of this reciprocity. It is recognition that even in our death, we can continue to provide for the village that sustained us.”

04/17/2026

is April 30 and you can "plant" your own forget-me-not flower in honor of your donor hero. 💙💚

Learn more: https://aopo.org/donor-remembrance-day/donor-hero-garden/

𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆. 💙💚

This April 30, join us in honoring the incredible legacy of organ, eye, and tissue donors by planting a forget-me-not flower in our virtual garden.

Every forget-me-not flower tells a story of love, remembrance, and gratitude. But we can’t fill the garden without you.

If you haven’t submitted a dedication yet, now is the time. Honor your Donor Hero. Share their story. Celebrate their selfless gift.

🔗 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: https://aopo.org/donor-remembrance-day/remember-your-hero/

04/17/2026

We have donor sister Almitra to thank for this one! She reached out to LifeCenter Northwest with a new idea, connecting us with Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Wash., to celebrate the birthday month of her brother, Isaak. It couldn't have been more timely, as his birthday falls right in the heart of .

Our window display shares Isaak's story and information about Washington's organ donor license plate initiative. And, throughout April, several of Alderwood Mall's food court vendors are offering discounts to any customer who shows the little red heart on their driver's license. ❤️