By Bonnie Culverhouse

April is National Donate Life Month and Ashley Davis, Community Educator for Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) shared her knowledge of organ donation with Minden City Council members during a workshop Monday, which was followed by a of Donate Life Month proclamation at the end of the regular council meeting.

LOPA supports families during the donation process. Davis has almost first-hand experience with both sides of donation.

“My dad received a liver transplant in 1997,” Davis said. “He received a liver from someone who was in a car accident. Because of that transplant, we had five extra years with him.”

Davis’ uncle who had a stroke became an eye and tissue donor. 

Records show more than 100,000 persons nationwide awaiting a transplant. Around 2,000 reside in Louisiana.

One organ donor may save up to eight lives – one tissue donor can save up to 75 lives and one donor can restore sight to two persons.

“The ability to touch that many lives is incredible,” she added.

At the end of the regular council meeting, Mayor Nick Cox presented a proclamation to Davis, along with Wytonia McBride whose son Joshua died in 2019, when he was struck by a bullet during a drive-by shooting in DeRidder. The family moved to Minden where McBride has become an advocate for transplant donations.

“Thank you, Minden, for being such a blessing in my family’s life,” McBride said to the council.

Cox’s proclamation reads that listing a name in the Louisiana Donor Registry provides hope for those whose lives or productivity depend on transplants. More than 2.8 million Louisianans have registered as organ donors at the Office of Motor Vehicles. You can also sign up online and through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. There are no restrictions for age or medical condition.