It’s time for a Year-End Review; we are so proud to announce, giving people like you and your loved ones who said “yes” to organ & tissue donation our impact last year. It may have been on a driver’s license or by family in the hospital after an unexpected loss. In any case, these gifts do immeasurable good. Our numbers from another impactful year for us here at MidSouth Transplant Foundation. Thank you to everyone for such a FANTASTIC year! We’re believing that we can continue to GIVE HOPE to the many families who will be faced with loss and tragedy and GIVE LIFE to the those waiting and praying for their miracle.
MST wants to recognize and thank its key partner groups, including MSTF staff; MST ambassadors; donor families; physicians; nurses; other patient care personnel; donor hospital personnel; transplant center employees; department of motor vehicles, county clerk and highway patrol office employees; medical examiners; coroners; and funeral home staff.
MSTF is able to achieve its mission through your continued support, collaboration and feedback.
Help us raise awareness for the lifesaving benefits of organ and tissue donation by committing to purchase a Donate Life Tennessee license plate for your vehicle(s). Click this link (Interest Form ) or scan the QR code on flyer below to fill out the interest form now.
To pursue this initiative in Tennessee, we need commitments to purchase 1000 specialty plates. Once the initiative is approved by the Tennessee General Assembly, you will be contacted to prepurchase the plate(s). The specialty plate fee is approximately $37.00 per year.
March is National Kidney Month, a time to spread awareness about kidney health and kidney disease and learn what you can do to support it. One Mid-South family exemplifies a unique and inspirational story regarding organ and tissue donation.
“Full circle moment for me. Not only me and my mom having a kidney transplant, but my brother being a donor, and my dad being my living donor,” ARTavius Veasey said. “Organ donation and transplantation are all in my family.”
ARTavius was diagnosed with kidney disease at the age of three; 17 years ago, he was blessed with a kidney transplant from his father.
“I can’t even describe the day; it was just full of excitement,” Veasey said. “It’s like now my life gets to start.”
ARTavius and his mom Tremetrius Barnes are both kidney recipients. Tremetrius received a kidney from a deceased donor 24 years ago. Watching her son’s battle was all too familiar.
“We went through the journey; it wasn’t so bad because I went through it,” Barnes said. “I was just trying to tell him that we can do this, we can go through it, and we don’t have to worry about what people say or whatever. That he will be okay.”
Their kidney story doesn’t end there. Barnes’ youngest son was 24 years old when he died in a car accident. A gesture he did before his death helped save and enhance the lives of 67 people.
“I didn’t ask him to do it,” Barnes said. “He said Mom, someone helped you and my brother so I would want to be on the list for if anything happened to me I can help somebody else.”
As a donor family, living donor, and kidney transplant recipients, this family knows donation first-hand and has lived it from all sides.
“Donate, sign that paper, MidSouthTransplant.org. If you do that, look at us. We are a family and a donated family,” Barnes said. “Just do it.”
Veasey published a book to walk readers through his journey, titled Becoming A Living Testimony: My Journey Through Kidney Disease and How It Blessed My Life. Veasey also serves as the Digital Communications Coordinator at Mid-South Transplant Foundation.
Two young men who lost their lives in 2020 after a deadly car crash were honored Friday night for saving the lives of several strangers through organ donation. In 2020, T.J. Smith, his younger brother Tyronzen Smith, and another person were killed in a car crash.
Tyronzen was a student at Covington High School at the time. T.J. was a standout running back for Covington High from 2013 to 2016. Davis says Tyronzen is his hero.
”I had a double lung transplant that I got from Tyronzen, aka ‘Run Run’ is what everybody calls him, really, so I’m really glad to be here,” Davis said. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.”
For Tyronzen’s mother, Charmin Smith, it was a beautiful moment for her to see her son and stepson honored and to see how many lives they saved.
”Just the fact that they’re taking the time to acknowledge them, even though they died in that tragedy, just acknowledging them is wonderful,” Smith said.
Mary Beck with Mid-South Transplant Foundation says even after their tragedy, T.J. and Tyronzen’s families helped save lives.
”They weren’t registered donors,” Beck said. “But the parents decided, they knew exactly what they needed to do to give this gift of life to other people. They might’ve been going through something very difficult, but they wanted other people to have the chance to live.”
Mid-South Transplant Foundation says there are 4,00 people around the Mid-South in need of organ donation.
