National Donor Day celebrates and remembers life

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — DHR Health hosted a "National Donor Day" on Friday to raise awareness about the life-saving impact of organ donation.

The event featured guest speakers, including transplant recipients and doctors who talked about the importance of being a registered organ donor.

One organ recipient spoke about his journey and his gratitude toward his wife who donated her kidney to save his life.

"They [doctors] told me I needed a kidney transplant and while my health was declining, my wife was like, 'Okay, I'll be the person to donate'. I go, oh, you have to be a match first of all. I mean, the want to was there, but we got to go through a lot of exams and stuff, and she was the first person to go check, I have two daughters and stuff and she was like, 'no, I'll go check', and she was a match, the doctors were very surprised as well."

National Donor Day is always celebrated on February 14 and is an opportunity to educate the community on the importance of being a registered organ donor.