Press Materials

LiveOnNY is the nonprofit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation and transplantation in the greater New York City area. Our teams work with local hospitals and transplant centers to deliver the gift of life to the nearly 8,000 New Yorkers currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. We also care for the families of the selfless organ donors and advocate for this lifesaving cause.

We have several experts available to speak to the media about LiveOnNY and organ donation. For media inquiries, please contact Kelly Anderson at 718-906-3695 or email kanderson@liveonny.org.

Statements from Leonard Achan, LiveOnNY President & CEO

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Statement on LiveOnNY’s Role: “LiveOnNY is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the New York metropolitan area, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, and the lower Hudson Valley. We partner with over 100 hospitals, including 11 transplant centers, to serve 13 million residents. While working quietly behind the scenes, LiveOnNY manages all the communication with donor families in the hospitals and also manages the medical, clinical, operational, financial and transportation logistics of the organ procurement process with hospitals within our designated service area and transplant centers across the country.”

Statement on 2022-2023 Numbers: "New Yorkers have proven once again that their generosity has no boundaries in the face of loss and tragedy. As we enter the third year of our strategic plan, our dedication remains steadfast in increasing the number of lives saved. We thank our donor heroes and their families for making these selfless gifts of life possible for thousands of others across the nation, waiting for a second chance."

Statement on Success with Partners: "Selfless decisions by organ and tissue donor heroes and their families resulted in a 50% increase in organ donors, tissue donors and organs transplanted over the last 24 months. The organization’s staff worked hand in hand with New York’s hospital leaders, physicians, nurses and transplant centers led by world-renowned surgeons and their staff, as well as emergency services and critical care staff across New York. This resulted in the residents of the greater New York City area generously donating more organs than ever before in the organization’s history to save lives across the region.”

Statement on the Waiting List: “Approximately 8,000 people in New York are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving transplant and the only way we can give them a second chance is through the continued grace of our New York community saying ‘yes’ to saving lives by giving the ultimate gift of life. The waiting list can’t wait, and your family, friends and neighbors may one day need your help, so please consider organ and tissue donation to help save and change lives.”

Statement on Being an Organ and Tissue Donor: “Anyone can be an organ and tissue donor hero. All it requires is a desire to be compassionate and to want to ‘live on’ through helping others in the most meaningful way possible. Thousands of New Yorkers are in need of a vital organ or tissue donation right now. Many are wishing for a better tomorrow or are wondering if there will be a tomorrow at all. There is no greater gift than the gift of life, so please become an organ donor hero by signing up now on the Donate Life New York or national registry or at the DMV or consider being a living donor. Most important, don't forget to tell your family and friends of your wish to save others with organ and tissue donation.”

Graphics, Fact Sheet & More

Covering organ and tissue donation means that more education will be provided and ultimately more lives will be saved. Below are press materials to help supplement coverage:

  • Download Organ, Eye & Tissue Fact Sheet
  • Download Graphics (4 available)
  1. LiveOnNY 2022-2023 Success
  2. 8,000 New Yorkers waiting
  3. 1 organ donor can save 8 lives and 1 tissue donor can help 50-75 people
  • View recent press releases here.
  • View recent media hits here.

In the News

Fox 5: Firefighter William Moon Saves Lives Through Organ Donation
Fox 5 Good Day New York: Honors Officer Mora for His Organ Donation Gifts
NewsNation: Heroic Gift - Fallen NYPD Officer Saved 5 Lives with Organ Donation
Spectrum News NY1: Fallen NYPD Officer Saved 5 Lives With Organ Donation
ABC 7 New York: Heroic Firefighter Remembered
Fox 5: How Organ Donation Can Change and Save Lives

Donor Family and Recipient Stories

Donor Hero Josue Lopez-Ortega
Yonkers donor mom Carmen Hanchard
Bronx donor mom Arlene Soto-Vargas
Brooklyn donor dad Eddie Soto
Honoring Organ Donor Heroes
Donor Hero Ethan Holder