Hendersonville proclaims April Donate Life Month; transplant recipients, judge share stories

Mayor Jamie Clary read a proclamation naming April as Donate Life Month in Hendersonville and invited Donate Life Tennessee representatives and local transplant recipients to speak at the March 25 meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

The proclamation, read by Mayor Jamie Clary, notes that Tennessee Donor Services is one of 56 organ procurement organizations nationwide and says more than 100,000 Americans and about 3,000 Tennesseans are waiting for life‑saving organ transplants. The mayor encouraged residents to register their donor decision at donatelifetn.org or a driver services center.

Donate Life Tennessee external affairs coordinator Bridal Lopez introduced local ambassadors and said the group seeks to increase registered donors. Rayshawn Moran, who received a double lung transplant in 2015, described his family and recovery and urged registration so fewer patients must wait. “My mission since our lung transplants … is to make sure that we get more registered donors so that less people have to have to sit and wait,” Moran said.

General Sessions Division 1 Judge Ron Blanton described waiting years for a kidney transplant and receiving a direct donation that he said “gave me a new lease on life.” He urged attendees to consider donation and to ask questions if they have concerns. Christian Sherba spoke about his daughter Lucy, who received a liver transplant while a senior at Hendersonville High School.

The board presented the proclamation to the visitors and asked staff to circulate registration resources and the Donate Life Tennessee QR code referenced in the presentation. The public‑facing proclamation encourages residents to register and learn about living donation options.

Ending: The mayor invited the group to join for a photograph and thanked them for the presentation; no board action beyond the proclamation was required.