Keynote at Putnam County naturalization ceremony urges new citizens to register as organ donors

Lauren Shields, Community and Government Affairs Liaison for LiveOn New York and a double organ recipient, delivered the keynote at Putnam County's Feb. 5 naturalization ceremony and urged new citizens to consider registering as organ donors.

Shields described her personal medical history and recovery: she said that 16 years earlier a virus attacked her heart, she spent about nine months in the hospital and was placed on life support, and that a donor — she said a "4 year old boy from Illinois" — enabled her transplant on 03/18/2009. "Every breath I take is because of him," she said, and added that since the transplant she has graduated from high school and college and worked on advocacy that helped pass a New York law that she said bears her name.

Shields told the audience there are "8,000 people waiting for a transplant in New York" and described organ donation as "a meaningful way to contribute to society and leave a lasting impact on others' lives." She urged attendees to register as organ donors and framed that choice as an extension of civic generosity tied to the naturalization milestone. "For you, I guess today, February 5, can be your second birthday too because it's the day that you became an American," she said.

Shields' remarks were delivered as part of the ceremony program; no formal action (legislative or administrative) to change organ‑donor registration policy was recorded at the event. She encouraged attendees to take personal steps (sign up as donors) and described her advocacy background and the personal significance of transplantation.