Leading with passion: Donor Network West's leadership shares lived experiences with organ, eye and tissue donation
From an altruistic donor to a heart transplant recipient, at Donor Network West, members of senior leadership have a deep connection to the organization's mission to save and heal lives
SAN RAMON, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "If you know, you know,"—a phrase commonly used to refer to something that is understood or known by a select group of people. It is a phrase that applies to more than 10,000 people in Donor Network West's donation service area—the second largest in the U.S.—who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. At Donor Network West, an expert team of executive and healthcare professionals understand it all too well, dedicating themselves to one organizational mission: to save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.
Organ failure and other serious illnesses can affect anybody of any age, race, or socioeconomic status. Those on the waiting list must overcome daily obstacles such as undergoing dialysis, being connected to oxygen, living in the intensive care unit and taking medication while waiting and hoping for a life-saving organ transplant. For approximately 17 people every day, an organ donation never becomes available and they unfortunately die waiting.
So how do people waiting for a second chance at life receive one? In the U.S., not-for-profit organizations responsible for recovering organs from deceased donors for transplantation are known as organ procurement organizations. There are 56 OPOs nationwide, each mandated by federal law to perform this life-saving mission in their assigned donation service area. Donor Network West is the federally designated OPO for northern California and northern Nevada. It is led by a passionate leadership team with lived experiences and connections to the work being done at the organization. Here are just a few examples.
Luis Mayen, Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, Living Kidney Donor
As an advocate and changemaker, Luis Mayen, vice president of external affairs and strategic partnerships at Donor Network West, dedicates his time to ensuring the voices of those in need have a chance to be heard in communities where it may not have seemed possible. After more than 23 years at Donor Network West, Mayen made the decision to become a life-saving hero to someone else. His kidney donation was altruistic, meaning he donated selflessly and without knowing his donor, and he said he views it "purely as a gift of life" to a dialysis patient who was in dire need of a second chance. While they have never met, Mayen hopes his recipient is doing well and is hopeful to learn more about her one day.
"It's the best decision I ever made in my life," said Mayen. "We get to help hundreds to thousands of people living with kidney disease on a day-to-day basis here at Donor Network West. I am so proud to say that personally, I was able to help someone."
Dr. Alin Gragossian, Associate Medical Director, Heart Transplant Recipient
Dr. Alin Gragossian is Donor Network West's associate medical director. She is a heart transplant recipient and frequently shares her experiences as a patient and as a physician on social media. Dr. Gragossian is also an advocate for mental health and actively discusses how mental health impacts transplant recipients.
"As both a physician and a heart transplant recipient, I've faced my fair share of challenges," said Dr. Gragossian on her LinkedIn page this past May during Mental Health Awareness Month. "When asked how I've made it through, my response always centers on the importance of mental health. I see my vulnerability as a strength."
An ICU physician, Dr. Gragossian has experience working post-operative care for organ recipients. When she finished her training, she knew she wanted to be involved in organ donation and saw the good work that takes place at OPOs. When the position opened at Donor Network West, it was a natural fit. In addition to her work for Donor Network West, Dr. Gragossian frequently posts to her personal blog, A Change of Heart, helping to educate others about organ donation.
Mark Borer, Vice President of Quality Systems
Mark Borer answered an ad in the paper 30 years ago, to be a tissue recovery technician. Since then, he has gained experience serving in nearly every role associated with organ transplants. As regulations led to the need for quality systems, Borer naturally evolved into his role maintaining all of the procedures for the organization including internal audits, adverse occurrences and management of organ and tissue donor records ensuring they are accurate and complete. Additionally, he and his team maintain all the facilities and equipment, and performance improvement.
"Every role at Donor Network West has some connection to saving and healing lives," said Borer. "A big part of excellence is doing the little things every day that your teammates, the organization and our stakeholders depend on to meet the mission. The work we do can be pretty intense and it's just amazing how people are always willing to step up and do what's needed to make [organ] donation happen."
Borer's mother, Nancy, received a cornea transplant and he has personally seen the impact it has had on her.
"When people think of transplant they often think about the recipient but it's also the family surrounding the recipient that benefits a lot," said Borer. "You just feel compelled to do everything right after that to make sure the promises you made to that donor family are honored."
Dr. Janice F. Whaley, President & CEO
"It is difficult, in fact, almost impossible to do this job effectively without passion," said Dr. Whaley, president and CEO of Donor Network West. "Passion is a must."
Whaley joined Donor Network West in January 2019. After her arrival, the organization substantially increased organ recovery performance across multiple metrics, saving hundreds more lives. Her leadership, advocacy, and operational efforts, in both California and Nevada, as well as the nation overall, serve as evidence of her passion as does the team she's put in place to support the organization.
"Our Executive Leadership Team brings tremendous experience in the organ and tissue procurement industry and a shared commitment to saving and healing more lives every day," said Whaley. "Luis, Dr. Gragossian and Mark's stories are just a few examples of the personal passion and connections within our organization. There are literally dozens of people at this organization with a personal tie to organ, eye and tissue donation."
When Whaley held the role of managing director of clinical operations at LifeGift in Houston, Texas, she managed the complex processes involved in working with five transplant centers and 24 transplant programs, leading the region to record setting numbers of donors recovered. It was here she became connected to a cystic fibrosis patient, Tyler.
Tyler, who lived for nearly six years after his lung and liver transplants, opted not to receive a second transplant after learning he had a 30% chance to live if the transplant was successful. Selflessly, he opted to rest in order to give the organs needed for his transplant to someone else, giving them a second chance at life. Whaley said that Tyler planned his funeral and asked her to make two promises: to stay connected to his mom, which she has done, and to never stop the work she's doing.
"I cannot think of any better way to honor his legacy than by doing what I do," said Whaley. "That's what wakes me up every morning. I know we are here for a purpose. It helps me inspire my team. The fact that someone else was so grateful for just one more day, one more year, for the time he had—he lived a life that was meaningful."
Last year alone, there were 40,000 transplants made in the United States thanks to the generosity of organ donors. A single donor has the power to extend and heal the lives of many. With organ donation, a donor can save up to eight lives. Through tissue donation, one donor can heal up to 75 lives. To learn more about donation or to join the organ donor registry, visit DonorNetworkWest.org.
— @MyDNWest —
Photo cutline: Photos of Luis Mayen, Dr. Alin Gragossian, Mark Borer and Janice F. Whaley are available in this folder. Media interested in an interview can reach out to Nicole Shearer, nicole.shearer@kps3.com or 530-448-6485.
Media Note: In 2024, Donor Network West made a significant impact across organ, eye and tissue donation with 1,390 organ transplants; 493 organ donor heroes and 2,590 tissue donors. Each gift was used to save and heal a life. To learn more about Donor Network West's impact in 2024 and beyond visit DonorNetworkWest.org.
About Donor Network West
Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation and research. Established in 1987, Donor Network West is designated and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), is a member of the Organ Donation Alliance and is an official Donate Life organization. Donor Network West is federally designated to serve 45 counties in northern California and northern Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries to help increase donor registration. For information, visit www.DonorNetworkWest.org and follow us on social media: @mydnwest.
MEDIA CONTACT
Nicole Shearer | KPS3
nicole.shearer@kps3.com | 530-448-6485
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SOURCE Donor Network West