Thurston County Board of Health proclaims Feb. 14 National Donor Day; residents share transplant stories

The Thurston County Board of Health on Tuesday unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing Feb. 14, 2026, as National Donor Day and urged residents to consider organ, eye and tissue donation.

The proclamation, read at the Feb. 10 meeting, cites national transplant statistics and local need and was followed by two community members who shared personal transplant stories. "It means more to me than, it's just a miracle that I'm hearing," said George Sharp, who recounted being put on a transplant list in 2020, losing a donor two weeks before a scheduled surgery and ultimately receiving a transplant on Aug. 21, 2024. Sharp thanked the community for support during his recovery.

Buddy Uton spoke about his father, Melvin Uton, who received a heart transplant in May 2000 through the University of Washington. "He recovered in his room, and then shortly thereafter, they had him up and walking," Uton said, adding that his father is now nearly 91 and the family is grateful for many extra years together.

The proclamation text in the meeting packet cites national figures that "in 2024, more than 48,000 transplants from 24,000 donors were provided nationwide, while over 100,000 people remained on the national transplant wait list." The Board paused briefly after the reading to take photographs with the speakers and the proclamation.

The Board’s recognition is intended to raise awareness of organ donation and to honor donors, recipients and the health professionals who facilitate transplants. The proclamation and supporting materials noted regional wait-list counts from the United Network for Organ Sharing. The Board asked staff to include the proclamation in county communications and to collect electronic signatures for the official record.

The Board resumed its agenda after the photo break and moved on to the Health Officer report.