Tennessee Donor Services

08/20/2026

For 25 years, Donate Life Ambassadors Jess and Theresa Chairez have shared their son's legacy of service and generosity.

Officer Joseph "Joe" Chairez became an organ donor after experiencing a brain aneurysm while on duty in 2000, saving four lives through the donation of his heart, lungs, liver and pancreas. 💙💚

At first, Jess struggled with the decision to donate. But as he prayed, he felt God tell him that by honoring his son's wishes, he would also be honoring Him. That moment transformed his grief into a lifelong mission of sharing Joe's story and encouraging others to say "yes" to donation.

"I always hear recipients say that receiving a transplant has given them a second chance at life, but knowing that my son lives on as a donor hero gave me a second chance at life.” ~Jess Chairez

Sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/19/2026

Donor Heroes make the selfless decision to be a light of hope and healing to those waiting for lifesaving transplants every day.

We are honored to celebrate their heroic legacies.

Donor Tribute: Carmen Vigil

"My Aunt Carmen was an amazing mother, wife, aunt, daughter, sister and niece! She was so good to all of us in her family. She taught us all to love deeply, to show care and to be there for each other, not only in celebration but in hard times. She was like a second mother to me, and we all miss her terribly. She could walk in our family home, and she was a light instantly. She was so full of life with child-like honesty and a great sense of humor! She believed in donating whatever organs or tissue she had that were good when she passed away. She always said 'I don’t need them anymore — why let them go to waste when I could help someone, especially a child?' I admire the person she was. I will always love and miss her, and it brings joy to know that no part of her went to waste. She gave away the best of herself when she was here and still gives of herself after she has gone to our eternal home. Love you always, Aunt Carmen!"

Give the gift of life. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

Register as an organ and tissue donor in Tennessee. One donor can save 8 lives and improve 75 more. It only takes a minute — register today.

08/18/2026

It has been almost 10 years since Tracee's husband, James, saved lives as a donor hero.

In life, James was a beloved husband, father, brother, friend and a generous and kind man.

For Tracee, James' decision to be an organ donor meant the world to her, knowing that he was selfless enough to think of others as his final act.

Now, she is even more intentional about encouraging communities of color to become donors and highlighting the lives that can be changed by saying YES to donation.

Leave a heroic legacy like James. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/17/2026

We are honored to have the support of Hamilton County Commision-Elect Montrell Besley (pictured left) during National Multicultural Donor Awareness Month!

After living the donation experience through his best friend, Corey Phillips, Montrell understood the profound power organ and tissue donation has to transform heartbreak into hope and give families the gift of more time.

Together, we can create more stories of survival, more reunions and more second chances at life.

Learn more about becoming a registered donor today at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/17/2026

Adam Cowan spent nine years on dialysis, waiting and hoping for the call that would change everything. In 2023, he received the lifesaving kidney transplant that gave him a second chance. 💙💚

While undergoing dialysis, Adam couldn't help but notice how many of the patients around him looked like him, underscoring the urgent need for more registered organ donors, especially in communities of color.

Today, Adam is thriving as a Donate Life Ambassador, using his journey to encourage others to sign up and help save lives as registered organ, eye and tissue donors.

"My transplant not only saved my life, but it truly added to the quality of my life. Freedom to live is what organ donation was for me." — Adam Cowan, kidney recipient

One decision can change someone's future. Sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/14/2026

We’re proud to celebrate the release of Room For One More, a new book written by one of our very own Donate Life Ambassadors, Joe Foster.

This compelling and deeply personal story explores Joe’s relationship with his son, Benton, who saved four lives as a donor hero at just 23 years old after suddenly passing away from a brain aneurysm in 2017. Through Benton’s story, Joe shares a powerful reflection on fatherhood, grief, legacy and the lifesaving impact of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Don't miss this heartfelt story. Room For One More is available at https://www.amazon.com/Room-One-More-Joe-Foster/dp/B0HDBR7KWT/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iqnLk8Z5ylIqs0u2qEsAWCQXrkaWGyjJMMGuf1NMtOwD_mW85ubaSr1nJZ5KW_9MK82hzGrSmNLdVP1b3PLS6RfZzjmMor7UjU5ixMyk1bUEGPAc1cB7qiCXY79eoPfOZqLBEWxuEjfRtUr8GDl83bekSk-_vubGminMG60HYp7_MMoVnBMuMFan-FK1Hw4aYJAPhtpx-UvQbpiqXo6G8bO8BjHUgfsn9870HuFvK38.7Dn0M3_vrQyIhfdBgmoK-o7RBrV_nSFlZ5KDW38aa0c&qid=1786739204&sr=8-1

08/13/2026

Dr. Velma Scantlebury-White is the first Black woman to become a transplant surgeon in the United States. Over her 40-year-long career, Dr. Scantlebury-White performed an estimated 2,000 organ transplants.

Born in Barbados, she and her family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, when she was 15. Pursuing her dream of becoming a physician, she eventually earned her medical degree from Columbia University. Eight years later, Dr. Scantlebury-White earned her Doctor of Surgery from Pitt School of Medicine, a first in the country.

Recognized as one of the top doctors in the U.S., Dr. Scantlebury-White is passionate about educating communities of color about the need for more organ donors and the rising number of patients in need of transplantation. 💙💚

08/12/2026

Hamilton County Schools Board Member-Elect Thessela White has had the donor designation on her license for years now.

For her, the decision to donate was simple: If her organs can save a life after she dies, it would be a profound honor to extend someone else's time on this earth. It's one small commitment today that can mean an entire lifetime for someone else. 💙💚

"Knowing that my choice can give a stranger a second chance at tomorrow is incredibly powerful." ~Thessela White, Hamilton County School Board

Thank you, Thessela, for lending your voice in support of the lifesaving impact of organ, eye and tissue donation!

Sign up to save lives as a donor at DonateLifeTN.org.

08/12/2026

We're beyond excited to invite community members and Donate Life Ambassadors to our upcoming Oh! Whata Night Fundraiser in partnership with Whataburger.

Join us for an evening of connection, hope and celebration as we gather with transplant recipients, donor families and our donation community — 20% of sales will go back to Donate Life Tennessee to fund outreach efforts!

‼️FUNDRAISER DETAILS‼️
📅: Wednesday, September 2, 2026
🕔: 5:00-7:00 PM
📍: 1201 Gallatin Avenue, Nashville, TN

Whether you're a donor family, transplant recipient, living donor or supporter of the Donate Life mission, we'd love for you to come share stories, build community and celebrate the incredible impact of donation with us! 💙💚

08/11/2026

Scott Wallace, Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations at Fisk University, is no stranger to the life-changing power of donation.

Living with a rare eye disease called keratoconus, Scott's vision gradually deteriorated. A cornea transplant would become the only way to save his ability to see.

But in 1997, an eye donor selflessly gave him that gift, and Scott underwent a double cornea replacement surgery. Today, he is seeing things clearer than ever before — all thanks to the generosity of his donor hero. 💙💚

"Because of my donor’s graciousness, I have been given the precious gift of sight—a gift that continues to bless my life every day." ~Scott Wallace, Cornea Recipient

Give the gift of sight today. Sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeTN.org.