Teen With Polycystic Kidney Disease Named Gift Of Life Michigan’s First Youth Champion, Boosting Organ Donation

Gift Of Life Michigan Names 15-Year-Old Eva Thompson Its First Youth Champion For Donation Advocacy

USA: Eva Thompson, 15, was named Gift of Life Michigan’s first-ever Youth Champion as National Donate Life Month begins in April, honoring her advocacy on behalf of organ donation and those awaiting transplantation. The recognition highlights Thompson’s work raising awareness of the need for donors and the life-changing potential of transplantation, particularly kidney transplantation.

Thompson lives with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and has long faced the prospect of needing a kidney transplant. Her family’s experience — the same year they suffered a loss, an aunt unexpectedly passed away and a directed kidney donation followed to Thompson’s grandmother — shaped her commitment to educating others about donation and transplantation.

At her high school she founded what organizers say is the only active student organ donation advocacy chapter in Michigan, leading campus and community conversations about donor registration, family conversations, and transplant access. Her efforts have focused on reaching young people with facts about living and deceased donation and how those choices can ripple through families and communities.

Gift of Life Michigan officials say Thompson’s recognition is intended to amplify youth voices during Donate Life Month. Thompson has said she hopes to pursue a career with organ donation networks to continue advocacy, aiming to turn personal experience into broader support for transplantation and donor registration.

Video originally published on 2026-04-26 18:31:45