Center for Donation & Transplant New York - Vermont

10/14/2026

"If giving him a piece of my liver meant giving him the chance to grow up, to run, to play, to go to school, to become whoever he was meant to be someday – there was never really a choice. There was only him."
Maxwell was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver disorder that affects newborns. At 12 weeks old, he had a procedure that gave his liver some more time, but it wasn't a cure. Maxwell would eventually need a liver transplant. This past July, his mom, Juliane, became five-year-old Maxwell's living donor.
Juliane and Justin, Maxwell's dad, are sharing their journey in hopes of raising awareness about living donation and its potential to help other families waiting for a lifesaving gift. 💙💚

10/14/2026

This is amazing!

A 64-year-old Quebec man has become the first patient in North America to receive a regenerated liver thanks to a breakthrough technology that could make dozens of additional livers available for transplant in its first year alone.

10/14/2026

Sharing this from a donor family 💙💚

10/10/2026

He saved 8 people’s lives! A true hero 💙💚

A Potsdam man who died last month in a workplace accident registered as an organ donor not long before his life was cut short.

10/10/2026

Lauren was an amazing person and staunch advocate for the donation community. May she rest in peace. 💙💚

The legacy of organ donor advocate Lauren Shields '22, who passed away this summer, lives on. Lauren's mom, Jeanne, and Dominican University students hosted a Donor Enrollment Drive on campus Thursday through LiveOnNY. Among those helping out was Isabella Munoz, a senior nursing student, who is also a heart transplant recipient and advocate for donor enrollment. Then, at nightfall, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge was lit up blue, the color used by the LiveOnNY organization, in honor and memory of Lauren. Lauren helped pass Lauren's Law in New York State, which encourages people to say "yes" to organ donations when applying for a drivers license.

10/07/2026

October is National Healthy Lung Month
Lung diseases affect a large number of Americans.
Your respiratory system is always hard at work. As we age, our lung capacity declines, making necessary gas exchange difficult.
Healthy Lung Month raises awareness about the escalation of lung disease in the United States and how to keep your lungs healthy.
Here are some tips from the American Lung Association to improve the health of your lungs.
1. Stop Smoking and Va**ng! (Also avoid secondhand smoke). Quitting smoking is the fastest way to improve lung health. Cigarette smoke narrows air passages and makes breathing difficult. The longer someone smokes, the more it can cause chronic inflammation and swelling in the lungs. Smoking puts you at greater risk for lung cancer or COPD. Twenty-four hours after you quit smoking, your body begins to repair the damage, and the longer you resist a cigarette, the lower the risk.
2. Exercise! When you are physically active, the lungs and heart work harder and become stronger. Your body becomes more efficient at getting oxygen into the bloodstream and transporting it to the working muscles. Keep it up, and you will become less likely to get short of breath during exercise.
3. Eat Healthy! Stay hydrated! A balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (Mediterranean) reduces inflammation and improves our immune system and microbiome. Our gut microbiome affects lung health. Dehydration makes the mucus thick and sticky, impairs respiration, and increases the risk of contracting an illness. Drink water!
4. Visit your healthcare provider regularly. Your healthcare provider should be the first to hear about any breathing problems you may be having. Don’t wait until it is advanced.
5. Get vaccinated. This decreases the chance of contracting a respiratory disease like COVID-19, pneumococcal pneumonia, and RSV.
6. Avoid air pollution exposure both indoors and outdoors. Check your local air quality report. Dust regularly, change air filters, and keep your house smoke-free to improve indoor air.
7. Deep Breathe! It improves lung function and helps you manage stress.
8. Wash your Hands to avoid infections. Use hand sanitizer as a backup when running water is unavailable.
9. Avoid infection exposure! Wear a mask or socially distance.

10/06/2026

Thank you Broadview Federal Credit Union volunteers for making blankets for our donor families! We 💙💚 having you!

09/30/2026

MyChart Is Now The Leading National Pathway For Organ Donor Registration
In the year since Donate Life America and Epic connected MyChart to the National Donate Life Registry, more than 250,000 people have used MyChart to sign up as organ donors, making it the nation’s leading organ donor registration pathway.

“Surpassing a quarter million registrations in a single year is a monumental achievement. By integrating donor registration into the MyChart portal, Epic has fundamentally changed the landscape of organ donation,” said David Fleming, President and CEO of Donate Life America, the nonprofit organization managing the National Donate Life Registry. “This initiative demonstrates how technology can serve as a direct catalyst for saving lives by creating a pathway for generosity. We are thrilled to collaborate with Epic and look forward to the continued growth of this vital registration path.”