Our mission is to eliminate the shortage of organs for lifesaving transplants by being a trusted education resource for living organ donation and the leading provider of advocacy services for living donors. That year Dr. Denton Cooley and his team of surgeons performed the first heart transplant in the United States in Houston. Five Houston women, realizing no formal way to donate organs existed, saw a need for a donor registry that would allow medical professionals to match organs with waiting recipients. Today The Living Bank focuses on public education and living donor advocacy. Living Donor Advocates perform assessments of potential living donors and counseling living donors before, during, and after surgery. The newly launched Independent Living Donor Advocacy Network (ILDAN) connects social workers, psychologists, physicians, nurses and clergy who work as independent living donor advocates. ILDAN offers virtual resources that provide professional development, solutions, collaboration and peer support through live webinars, videos of instruction and forums.
