April Designated Living Donor Awareness Month: Educators Lead by Example

Posted Date: 04/01/2024

As April unfolds, a heartfelt message echoes through communities—a call to acknowledge the significance of living organ donation. Individuals like Ava Nickerson, an esteemed educator at Valley View High School, lead this charge, whose acts of selflessness have ignited a flame of compassion and awareness.

Recently, Ava Nickerson garnered attention for donating a kidney during the holiday season. Her gesture, alongside two other educators from the North Texas area, sparked a wave of hope and inspiration, highlighting how much organ donation can change lives for people in need.

Ava’s journey into living organ donation was sparked by a profound gesture within her own family. Just three months earlier, her son, 43-year-old Joel Nickerson, had selflessly donated one of his kidneys to a stranger. Moved by his immense generosity, Ava felt compelled to follow suit. Throughout everything, Ava wants people to prioritize awareness of the need for living donors over her act of giving.

To read more about the extraordinary series of kidney donations and the heartwarming stories behind them, visit Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital's News Release or visit the NBC News Headline: Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital.