Organ Donation

Reno physician, Dennis Yamamoto, MD, married his wife, Mary (Oberski) Yamamoto, in 1976. Both from large families, their wedding boasted a guest list of 375 people and it was a multi-day affair. It was a big start to what would be nearly 45 years of marriage as they pursued careers — Dr. Yamamoto in medicine and Mary in social work — raised their twin children and celebrated becoming grandparents to four grandsons.

At 16 years old, Reno local, Austin James Steele, applied to take his driver’s license test. When his mother, Marlies Radtke, asked him if he would register as an organ donor after he passed his test, he replied, “Well, why wouldn’t I be?”

Xochie Aranda was a single mother in her 30s when she first learned that she had polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that is the fourth-leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S. She was placed on the national transplant waiting list for a kidney and received a transplant in 2014.

When local Reno resident, Donna Kapala, received the news that an acquaintance she met over 40 years ago was on dialysis and needed a kidney transplant, she offered to undergo testing to see if she could donate a kidney––and she was.

Nevadan Angelo Reyes began his work day June 10, 2022 like any other, until a colleague mentioned that his eyes appeared yellow. This was the first sign of liver failure, which progressed rapidly. Driven by his sense of responsibility to his family and his son, he continued to work even as his skin began to yellow and his body held excess fluid.

Reyes was placed on the transplant waiting list less than a month after his first symptom — at 47 years old, he needed a life-saving liver transplant.

In recognition of those who have received life-saving transplants and in honor of both living and deceased donors, Donor Network West lights the iconic Reno Arch blue and green every April during Donate Life Month. The Arch turned blue and green Saturday, April 1, during a special ceremony and will remain blue and green the entire month.

Donna Kapala never expected to be a complete match but, after a series of tests, she learned that one of her kidneys could save the life of someone she met 41 years prior on a teaching assignment to Australia. Her friend Sheila Hoban, one of the “six amigas,” was on the national waiting list and thanks to Kapala’s life-saving gift, she is alive and healthy today.

Diagnosed with a rare lung disease in 2009, Dina Jennings is awaiting a life-saving lung transplant. She is one of the more than 600 Nevadans and 100,000 people in the U.S. on the national transplant waiting list.

In her 30s, Xochie Aranda was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a leading cause of kidney failure. She was placed on the national transplant waiting list and within three years received a transplant. However, Aranda was placed on the national transplant waiting list again after experiencing transplant failure nearly 10 years ago.

Donor Network West hosted a special remembrance event to honor the legacy of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hammond, which gathered family, friends and caregivers at Fianna’s Healing Garden at Renown Regional Medical Center.

A memorial portrait of Lizzy was crafted entirely out of organic materials and was featured on the Donate Life float at the 133rd Rose Parade Jan. 1, 2022 in Pasadena, Calif. The portrait — also called a “floragraph” — was gifted to her family during the remembrance event Tuesday, Aug. 16.

Pati Hughes-Fudge, a 70-year-old horse trainer from Gardnerville received a liver transplant in 2015; but rather than slowly ease into life after the transplant, she competed in the Transplant Games of America just six months after her transplant surgery.

Donor Network West invites northern Nevadans to the National Bowling Stadium at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19 for ‘Spare a Life,’ a family-friendly fundraising event with bowling, food, prizes and fun that supports a great cause. The inaugural ‘Spare a Life’ event will fund education, outreach and research efforts for organ donation. Plus, attendees can participate in a strike contest for a chance to win a $10K grand prize, sponsored by the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce, if they bowl 10 strikes in a row.

Victor Salazar’s health battles began at just 10 years old when he was diagnosed with keratoconus, an eye disease that affects the cornea and can result in vision blurring or loss. During his college years, Salazar’s vision worsened drastically. He also began experiencing unrelated health issues due to an under-developed kidney. Fortunately, he received two life-changing cornea transplants and a kidney transplant between 2014 and 2015.

Donor Network West, the federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) for northern Nevada and northern California, and Renown Health Spiritual Care hosted a candle lighting ceremony in remembrance of organ donors in front of the LOVE sculpture at Renown Regional Medical Center. To close out National Donate Life Month, the ceremony included a moment of silence, a poem-reading and the chance for attendees to write notes of gratitude to honor organ donors.

Join Donor Network West on May 19, 2022 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada where we will team up to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation and honor the donors who have given the gift of life. Your support directly benefits northern Nevada by aiding in funding for education, outreach and research.

Donor Network West, the federally designated non-profit organ procurement organization for northern Nevada and northern California, will honor three organ donation recipients and two families whose loved ones donated organs at the 133rd Rose Parade happening Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022 in Pasadena, Calif.

Donor Network West hosted a special event to honor the legacy of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hammond with the unveiling of a memorial “floragraph” on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at Renown Regional Medical Center. Made entirely out of organic materials, Lizzy’s floragraph will be featured on the Donate Life float at the 133rd Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2022 in Pasadena, Calif.

Donor Network West, the federally designated organ procurement organization for northern Nevada and northern California, today joined four other organ procurement organizations as a founding member to fund the launch of the Biostasis Research Institute (BRI).

RENO — Donor Network West, the federally designated Organ Procurement Organization for northern Nevada and northern California, is urging Nevadans to help support organ and tissue donation during National Donate Month Life by purchasing the Nevada Organ Donor specialty license plate.

RENO — Every April in honor of National Donate Life Month, Donor Network West (DNW), the federally designated Organ Procurement Organization in northern Nevada and northern California, encourages Nevadans to register as organ donors, while also celebrating life-saving transplants and honoring both living and deceased donors. To register as an organ donor, you can visit your local Department of Motor Vehicles or visit DonorNetworkWest.org.

Donor Network West, the federally designated organ procurement organization for Northern California and Northern Nevada, coordinated 411 organ donors, matching its all-time annual record of organ donors set in 2019.

Donor Network West, the federally designated non-profit organ procurement and tissue recovery organization for northern Nevada and northern California, has elevated Nicole Bishop to Regional Director of the northern Nevada region.

Tens of thousands of Nevada small businesses and organizations — from casinos and law firms to churches and even strip clubs — received at least $3.1 billion through the Paycheck Protection Program stimulus package, according to a massive disclosure made by the federal government.

You probably realize that when your child becomes 18 years old, your child is a legal adult in Nevada. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal pointed out it is wise for the 18 year old to have some basic legal documents.

First a little background. One of my grandfathers started a mortuary in Hardin, Montana just over a hundred years ago. It is still run by family, currently one of my cousins. My father had many occupations, including being a mortician.

The Nevada Highway Patrol has earned the distinction of being the first state law enforcement agency in the nation to join the National Workplace ...

This week’s Carson High senior spotlight is on Tyler Torres. Tyler has a GPA of 4.62 and has increasingly challenged himself with honors and/or AP classes every year, earning academic letters the past two years. He is currently taking four AP classes in his senior year. Talented and well-rounded, Tyler has been in Chamber Choir since freshman year. He has also been a member of the National Honor Society for the past three years and Link Crew for two years. To further develop his leadership ability, Tyler has been involved in Boy Scouts since middle school.

The teen girl killed in a rollover accident last week in Pleasant Valley now has a memorial fund set up in her honor to help her family pay for burial.

17-year-old Heather Brown was declared brain dead last Wednesday afternoon around 3pm, and had remained on life-support through Friday morning when doctors were scheduled to perform an organ donation procedure.

The Washoe Valley teenage girl involved in the single-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday afternoon in Pleasant Valley has died from her injuries at Renown Regional Medical Center, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports.