Entries by Delaney Goldsworthy

Elevate your Style, Amplify your Impact!

Are you looking to spread the word about organ donation and our lifesaving mission?

The American Transplant Foundation is excited to partner with Cloz Talk. By embracing our unique line of branded T-shirts, hoodies, hats, and more, you have the opportunity to ignite meaningful conversations about transplant and organ donation and spark positive change.

With every purchase, a generous portion of the proceeds is directly donated back to our foundation. This means that each item you wear carries the weight of making a genuine impact in the transplant community.

Using Cryptocurrency to Save Lives

The American Transplant Foundation is proud to announce that we are now accepting donations in cryptocurrency! With just a few clicks, you can transfer your preferred cryptocurrency directly to the foundation, knowing that your donation will be securely recorded on the blockchain and used to make a real difference in the lives of transplant patients. Feel a sense of excitement and pride as you imagine the impact of your donation.

February 14th is National Donor Day!

The American Transplant Foundation has been connecting people to life for 18 years, going beyond awareness by providing real help to real families and making sure nobody goes through the transplant process alone.

Last year, record high numbers of organs were transplanted in our state – 778! This is fantastic, but as of February 2023, 1,094 Coloradans are still awaiting an organ transplant, including 41 children under the age of 18 years old. And though Coloradans of all ages are waiting to receive a lifesaving organ, two groups saw a record high of candidates added to the waitlist in 2022: 244 aged 35-49 years and 198 over the age of 65.

The American Transplant Foundation’s vision is to make Colorado the first state where nobody dies while waiting for a transplant. Last year, the number of Coloradans who died while waiting for a transplant or became too sick to be transplanted was 166 (vs. 211 in 2021) – that’s 166 lives! In fact, over 60% of Colorado transplant candidates have been on the waitlist for an organ for over 6 months – that’s over 650 people in need of lifesaving treatment.

As a result of the pandemic and the current economic situation, the Foundation has stepped up by creating the only national Emergency Fund for transplant recipients and distributed over $250,000 directly to patients so far through this fund. 

Finally, on National Donor Day, we want to acknowledge the amazing Coloradans who served as donors. Last year, a record high number of Coloradans (395!) donated one or more organs to help those in need. However, with so many candidates still on the waitlist, we want to remind your viewers to make sure they are registered as organ donors, and if you know someone who is affected by transplantation – reach out to them. And if you want to support a transplant patient – make a donation to the American Transplant Foundation’s emergency fund. 100% of your gift will go directly to transplant patients.


Here's what we've been up to lately... 

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Announcing the 2022 Steven W. Farber Award Fund Recipients!

American Transplant Foundation Co-Founder Steve Farber believed that no one should die while waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Through his own struggle of trying to find a living donor due to kidney failure, he realized how much needed to be done to help save lives here in America. This inspired him to establish the American Transplant Foundation together with Heidi Heltzel and Dr. Laurence Chan. The American Transplant Foundation goes beyond donor awareness and provides real help to transplant patients and their loved ones.

Steve passed away on March 4, 2020, but his legacy and vision of improving the transplant system continues.

The American Transplant Foundation is excited to announce the 2022 recipients of the “Steven W. Farber Transplant Award Fund”, created in Steve’s honor to carry on his legacy.

This fund has been developed and brought to fruition by our Board of Directors and is used to provide scholarship awards for students who are interested in pursuing a career in transplant and are enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

If you would like to contribute to our work and carry on Steve’s legacy, please click here to donate. If you would like to dedicate your donation to the Steven W. Farber Transplant Award Fund, please make note of it in the comment box.

2022 Steven W. Farber Award Fund Recipients


Here's what we've been up to lately... 

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2022 American Transplant Foundation Holiday Brunch!

Thank you to all who joined us at our
2022 Holiday Volunteer Appreciation Brunch! 

We are honored that we were joined (finally in person after COVID!) by friends, family, living donors, transplant recipients, volunteers, Board members, and supporters at our 2022 Holiday Party! This year we enjoyed a brunch that was filled with laughs, lots of food, and giving back.  

Volunteers gathered for brunch at The Clayton Members Club and enjoyed delicious food, holiday desserts, beverages, and camaraderie. 

As always, we celebrated all the lives saved through transplantation. Anastasia Henry, our Executive Director, proudly shared what the American Transplant Foundation has accomplished this year, all of which we could not have done without the help of our volunteers and generous supporters.  

Guests also participated in a photo booth opportunity with fun props, icebreaker bingo, silent auction, and received festive mystery gift bags on their way out. Many of our volunteers have been working together for years now and the brunch was an excellent opportunity to nurture those connections and for those who were not already familiar with each other to get to know each other.  

All our honored guests had a chance to hear the stories of and “adopt” Patient Assistance Grant Recipients from our Tree of Life. Because of their help, all of our Tree of Life nominees will be receiving a special gift in the mail this holiday season. 

Psst! You can still “adopt" a Tree of Life family too, if interested!  Donating in honor of someone special in your life makes a great gift for the holidays.

We would like to thank all our guests and volunteers for joining us at this lovely event and for their continued support. 2022 was an amazing year, and we’re looking forward to what the future holds in 2023! 

Holiday Party Photos


Here's what we've been up to lately... 

Adopt a Transplant Family in Need- Tree of Life 2022!

Every year, we strive to give back to the many living donors, transplant patients, and families within our community.

Families nominated to our Tree of Life initiative have the opportunity to receive a little extra financial assistance around the holidays. They could use assistance during the holidays to buy presents for their loved ones, afford groceries for a holiday meal, enjoy a rare evening out,  or even just have the weight of financial strain lifted. We are pleased to offer this opportunity to help brighten the holidays for a patient's family.

Please read the inspiring stories below and consider making a donation to the Tree of Life 2022 campaign to support these families in need. Every donation matters for these families!


About our Tree of Life: We believe that everyone should feel loved and appreciated during one of the most wonderful times of the year. Tree of Life was created to be able to provide financial assistance to transplant families nationwide during the holiday season, when financial struggles are at all time highs. Please help us spread joy and light this holiday season by donating and "adopting" one of the many families featured on our Tree of Life.

Nominate a Family in Need for Tree of Life 2022!

Every year, we strive to give back to the many living donors, transplant patients, and families we've assisted throughout the year. We want to give back even more! Do you know a living donor, transplant patient, or family that would benefit from our Tree of Life? Nominate them this holiday season.

Families nominated to our Tree of Life initiative have the opportunity to receive a little extra financial assistance around the holidays. They could use assistance during the holidays to buy presents for their loved ones, afford groceries for a holiday meal, or enjoy a rare evening out. We are pleased to offer this opportunity to help brighten the holidays for a patient's family.

Nominated individuals or families must meet the following criteria: 

1. At least one person in the family is a living donor or transplant recipient. 

2. Individual or family must live in the United States. (Gifts are mailed directly to the family.) 

3. Individual or family must be low-income or in need of monetary support this holiday season. 

4. All nominations must be submitted by November 10th, 2022. 

Would you like to donate to this campaign to help these Tree of Life families receive amazing gifts this holiday season?


About our Tree of Life: We believe that everyone should feel loved and appreciated during one of the most wonderful times of the year. Tree of Life was created to be able to provide financial assistance to transplant families nationwide during the holiday season, when financial struggles are at all time highs. Please help us spread joy and light this holiday season by "adopting" one of the many families featured on our Tree of Life.

Living Organ Donor Rides 102 Miles for others in Need!

Seven years ago, Kristen made the ultimate sacrifice for one of her employees, Kimberly, and her family. She donated a portion of her liver and saved Kimberly's life by doing so.

Kristen's passion for saving lives did not stop there! This September, the two of them put together a fundraiser for living donors through our Patient Assistance Program, where Kristen rode 102 miles in two days.

On her ride, Kristen was able to meet some fellow riders and share with them the story of Margaret, just one of the living donors that will be able to save a life thanks to this support.

Margaret is a single mother to a 6-year-old boy and a preschool teacher. According to her transplant social worker, "Margaret is highly motivated to be a kidney living donor for her biological brother, but without some financial assistance, it would pose a financial hardship on her to cover her expenses for her and her son during her recovery".

Thanks to inspiring people like Kristen, Kimberly, and supporters like you, Margaret received a $1,000 grant through our Patient Assistance Program and donated her kidney to her brother two weeks ago!

Kristen gearing up for her ride

New friends made along the way!

Assistance requests made to the American Transplant Foundation have increased dramatically over the past year. Financial donations help living donors be able to save lives; help transplant recipients to access medications to keep them healthy; and provide 1:1 mentorship support so no one will have to go through the transplant journey alone.
We extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to both Kristen and Kimberly for being living organ donation advocates and raising over $5,000, all of which goes directly to living organ donors to help cover lost wages while donating!

Thank You! 4th Annual Trivia For Life was a Success!

We are overwhelmed with the amount of support we received on Friday, September 30th at DaVita World Headquarters for our 4th Annual Trivia For Life!

Trivia for Life was created to bring together friends, families, and coworkers for an evening of delicious drinks, amazing food, friendly competition, prizes and more. All while raising funds for the nation's most vulnerable living organ donors, transplant recipients, and their families.  This year's fundraiser, was one for the books!

Together, we doubled our fundraising goal by raising over $300,000!

Guests caught up with friends over delicious food and an open bar...

Tested their trivia knowledge...

Met the inspiring people we work with like organ donors Jay Julian and Laura Fritz, and transplant recipient, Jane Fritz...

And let their talents shine in our new interactive trivia round!

Assistance requests made to the American Transplant Foundation have increased dramatically over the past year.  Financial donations help living donors to save lives; help transplant recipients to access medications to keep them healthy; and provide 1:1 mentorship support so no one will have to go through the transplant journey alone.
We'd like to recognize the dozens of event planning committee members and volunteers whose many hours of effort made this all possible. Thank you!

We also extend our sincere gratitude to our wonderful event sponsors -- thank you for your generous support!

PRESENTED BY: Iris and Michael Smith