Lifeline Blog

Real stories about what is possible when you #SayYES.

Hindu Physician Finds Spiritual Connection in Organ Donation

By Kelly Vance / November 9, 2016

Death is inevitable – the mental suffering surrounding it is not. Dr. Naresh Pathak has been bringing that message to doctors in Florida since 1989 and last month, he brought it to Virginia as well at the “Life, Death, and Donation” summit. Speaking to other faith leaders in Virginia Beach, Pathak shared his thoughts on…

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From Forbidden to Mitzvah: The Jewish Perspective on Organ Donation

By Kelly Vance / November 7, 2016

When Jeffrey Arnowitz was “a newly minted rabbi,” as he calls it, he had a congregant who was waiting for a heart. Rabbi Arnowitz visited this congregant, Michael, as he was in and out of hospitals, having heart attacks so frequently that he began to refer to them nonchalantly as “episodes.” When a heart finally…

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Life, Death and Donation: Virginia’s First Faith Summit on the Gift of Life

By Kelly Vance / October 18, 2016

For many families, the resource they turn to for comfort, advice, and support in times of crisis is the leader of their faith community. As Jon Barton, the General Minister of the Virginia Council of Churches and a pastor for 35 years, points out, faith leaders are wonderful at conversations about life and renewal. But who…

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A Mother’s Journey to Discover Her Infant Son’s Legacy

By Kelly Vance / October 3, 2016

At 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Sarah Gray received devastating news. One of her identical twin sons would be born with anencephaly, a fatal defect that affects brain development. The shock ripped through her and her husband, not lessened by the fact that an in utero death of the sick twin could endanger the life of…

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A Story from the Other Side of the Counter

By Kelly Vance / September 19, 2016

Denise Stotler talks to a lot of customers every day at the DMV. The manager at the Front Royal branch, she works the desk like the rest of her employees, helping customers renew their driver’s licenses and pay their registration fees. Some aren’t talkative but others strike up conversations, mostly about their children and dogs,…

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Checking your status could change 75 lives

Did you know organ donation can save 8 people, and improve life for 75 more? Check your status right now, and sign up to help others have longer, stronger lives.