Midsouth Transplant Foundation And Shelby County Health Department Plant Trees To Spotlight Organ Donation Need

Shelby Farms Trees Planted To Spotlight Organ Donation And Transplant Needs In Memphis Area

USA: Eight young trees now stand near the Beaver Lake picnic area of Shelby Farms Park, planted Saturday by the Midsouth Transplant Foundation in partnership with West Tennessee Urban Forestry and the Shelby County Health Department. The saplings are a public symbol of lives saved through organ and tissue donation, intended to prompt more people across the region to register as donors.

The foundation says it serves 36 counties with roughly a 2 million population and that about 4,000 people across that service area are currently waiting for an organ transplant, with approximately 2,000 of those in the Memphis area. Organ and tissue donation remains critical: one donor can save up to eight lives, restore sight to two people and improve the lives of more than 75 others through transplantation and tissue procurement.

Among those at the planting was Hannah, a kidney transplant recipient who experienced sudden chest pain years ago, required emergency care and ultimately chronic dialysis before she received a life‑saving kidney after more than five years on the list. Her recovery and advocacy personify the foundation’s message that registration and donation change outcomes for individuals and families.

A digital communications coordinator with the organization, who is also a kidney recipient, said outreach efforts will focus on education—especially in Black and African American communities where transplantation awareness has lagged. Organizers described the saplings as living reminders of hope and a call to action to expand donor registration throughout the Mid‑South.

Video originally published on 2026-05-09 18:34:05