Southwest Florida mother saves lives, need for organs keeps growing

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Danielle and her daughter, Hannah. (Credit: WINK News)
Danielle and her daughter, Hannah. (Credit: WINK News)

On average, 20 people die each day in America waiting for an organ transplant. That number could significantly decline if more people would donate their organs. One Southwest Florida woman saved lives by doing that.

Dana Grey remembers the day she learned her daughter, Danielle Lee Bogue, was killed from a car crash on Alligator Alley. “I don’t think there are words to describe how you feel as a parent when you get the news,” she said. Now, she reflects on the lives saved, because Danielle was an organ donor. “She gave the gift of sight to two and helped numerous others,” Dana said, “through organ tissue donation.”

Danielle’s baby daughter, Hannah, survived that crash without a scratch. In 2014, Hannah got to hear her mother’s heart beating in a man’s chest. “It was shocking and great,” Hannah said.

Hannah and her grandmother, Dana, shared their story with Lehigh Regional Medical Center, which was just awarded a platinum award from LifeLink of Florida for their service to the community and live-saving transplants.

Gary Bell, the CEO of Lehigh Regional Medical Center, said advances in medical science are making more donations and transplants possible.

But there are still not enough donors to meet the demand in America. While one donor can save eight lives, over 113,000 Americans are on the national transplant waiting list. “It’s so important for so many people,” Bell said.

Donate Life Florida said nearly 11 million people in Florida are registered organ donors, but there are more than 21 million people who call the state home. On average, every 10 minutes the organ waiting list increases by one more person.

So far, in 2019, Lehigh Regional Medical Center has had two organ donors and four organ transplants. It’s a small but imperative contribution to the overall need. It is something that brings comfort to a daughter and peace to a mother.

When you lose a loved one, you think it’s going to be more difficult,” Hannah said, “but actually helps a lot.”

“And her legacy lives on,” Dana said.

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