Mayor Domenic J. Sarno joined with representatives from New England Donor Services, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), State Senator Adam Gomez, who is an organ donation recipient, and local individuals and families touched by organ donation on Friday morning at City Hall for Springfield’s annual commemoration of April as Organ Donation Month.
Mayor Sarno presented a proclamation declaring April as “Donate Life Month” in the City of Springfield. Senator Gomez shared citations with the crucial state partners such as the Massachusetts RMV and Department of Public Health. Mayor Sarno, Senator Gomez, and Matt Boger from New England Donor Services (NEDS) along with NEDS staff, local donor recipients, and donor families joined in raising the Donate Life Flag and awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation.
Mayor Sarno continued, “We hear many touching local stories and appreciate all who are helping educate us about organ donation and what it has meant to them and their families. I am proud to have the heart symbol on my driver’s license as a registered organ donor. I know that it is more likely that me, or someone in family, will need an organ transplant in our lives than provide one. It is a small act to register and it costs nothing, but it can mean the world to an individual who is on that waiting list or their family who knows each moment together is precious. I encourage everyone to learn more about organ donation and get registered.”
Donna Wix shared her story as a mother of a donor recipient. Her son, Henry, passed away following a brain aneurysm bleed just two months before his college graduation. His family made the decision to donate his organs and tissue, which helped the lives of 95 people including two women in their 40’s who received his kidneys. Henry was an Army ROTC student at Western New England Univeristy and was just 21 years old when he passed. Donna bravely shared Henry’s story of being a life-saving hero today.
After being diagnosed with liver cancer, Glen Wiley, an U.S. Army veteran, needed a life-saving transplant. In 2015, he received the call that a life-saving liver was available. Wiley now works as a volunteer for NEDS, helping families of organ donors process their grief and letting them know that their loved one’s last act was to save the lives of others. He has been celebrating Organ Donation Month with the city and NEDS along with his famous Donate Life corvette too for ten years. Thank you, Glen!
This month we also encourage our friends, family, and community to learn more about organ and tissue donation and ask everyone to consider registering as a donor at the RMV when getting or renewing your driver’s license, Real ID, or ID or online at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/register-as-an-organ-donor-at-the-rmv
New England Donor Services is a leading nonprofit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont, and Bermuda. Co-founded in 1968 by Nobel Laureate Dr. Joseph Murray, who performed the world’s first successful organ transplant, today NEDS works with thousands of donors and donor families who have generously made the decision to give the gift of life. The organization’s highly skilled staff medically screen referrals for potential donations from more than 200 hospitals across the region and lead all donor authorization discussions with families. NEDS also allocates organs according to the national transplant waiting list and coordinates their transport to ensure the right organs get to the right patients at the right time. As part of its Aftercare Services, NEDS provides ongoing support and resources to donor families by offering opportunities for communication to transplant recipients, and occasions to honor, remember, and celebrate their loved ones who gave the gift of life. Learn more at https://neds.org/
This year’s National Donate Life Month comes as NEDS achieved a record number of transplants last year. In 2025, NEDS coordinated organ donations from 640 deceased donors resulting in 1,692 life-saving transplants. This record number of organ transplants represents the fifth consecutive year of growth and places NEDS among the nation’s top three organ procurement organizations (OPOs) by donor and transplant volume. Since 2020, NEDS has increased the number of life-saving organ transplants from New England organ donors by 65 percent. In addition, the organization’s Aftercare team provided services to 3,390 new donor families last year. In 2025, NEDS also coordinated 1,628 donor family and recipient letters, and 1,426 individuals impacted by organ donation attended NEDS-sponsored events.
