February 14 is National Donor Day, a time dedicated to raising awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation and honoring the generosity of donors and their families. Live On Nebraska, the state organization responsible for recovering organs and tissues for donation, announced that Nebraska donors helped reach new lifesaving milestones in 2025.
President and CEO Kyle Herber tells KLIN News that organs from a record 121 donors saved 314 lives. “Forty-three hearts were recovered from Nebraska donors, along with 172 kidneys and 89 livers. All were ultimately transplanted,” Herber said.
He says a total of 1,262 individuals gave the gift of life through Live On Nebraska last year. Organs and tissues transplanted from those donors are estimated to have saved and healed more than 53,000 people.
Recipients aren’t the only ones who benefit from donation and transplantation. For many donor families, donation becomes a meaningful part of the healing process. Regina Muldoon, a nurse from Omaha, saved five lives following a biking accident in October. Her sister, Patty Williams, says the family finds comfort in knowing Regina’s legacy lives on.
“Knowing Regina continues to care for people, even through death, helps a whole lot,” Williams said. “That’s exactly who she was. She saved lives while she was alive, and now she’s still saving lives.” Herber says the need for donation remains critical. More than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, including more than 400 people in Nebraska.
Anyone 16 or older can register as an organ and tissue donor, and age, health, or lifestyle do not prevent someone from signing up. Click here for donor registration details.