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Celebrating National Kidney Month with the #BeTheGift Connections Podcast
March 24, 2025
We’re celebrating National Kidney Month on #BeTheGift Connections! National Kidney Month is observed annually in March to raise awareness for kidney health and disease.
This month, we’ll hear inspiring stories from Tennesseans who have personally the lifesaving impact of one organ donor hero. More than 80% of patients waiting for a lifesaving organ need a kidney, making March the perfect time to say “Yes!” to donation.
On this month’s #BeTheGift Connections, we sat down with two kidney recipients to learn about their journeys and how living donors’ selfless gifts gave them a second chance at life.
What is #BeTheGift Connections?
#BeTheGift Connections is a series of monthly programs designed to inform and connect the public to lifesaving stories of organ donation and transplantation. Episodes feature real-life conversations with donor hero families, living donors, transplant recipients, and healthcare professionals directly involved in the recovery and transplant of organs and tissues. Each episode tackles a specific aspect of donation and the challenges facing those waiting for their lifesaving gift.
Episodes are available on the Tennessee Donor Services Facebook page and wherever you listen to podcasts.
On this month’s first #BeTheGift Connections episode, Memphis native Gay Hannah joined us to share how faith guided her through a lifesaving kidney transplant journey.
After going into the emergency room for chest pains, Gay learned she was in kidney failure due to high blood pressure, requiring her to begin dialysis immediately.
Hear Gay’s inspirational story as she shares how her faith led her through her transplant journey.
Today, Gay visits dialysis clinics and volunteers to increase awareness for organ and tissue donation.
Later this month, the journey will continue with John Lowe, a kidney recipient who is alive today because of a living donor.
He received his kidney transplant last year from living donor, Amy Martinez who also joined to discuss the screening process for living donation and why it was important for her to give this gift.
Now, John helps others in similar situations through his work with the East Tennessee Kidney Foundation.
We hope these episodes will inform and inspire others to be the gift and save lives by registering at BeTheGiftToday.com.
About Tennessee Donor Services
An Extraordinary Commitment to Science, Health, and Hope
Tennessee Donor Services a non-profit, organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving and improving lives by connecting organ and tissue donations to the patients who need them. TDS serves nearly five and a half million people in Tennessee and Virginia.
