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Top photo: Organ recovery coordinators Edda “It took time for that to really
Karam and Evelio Matos. Bottom photo: take off,” Rosson said, “but it’s
TOSA coordinator in OR. been a major contribution.”

TOSA’s 40 years of commu-
nity education have saturated
Central and South Texas, mak-
ing it difficult to find someone
who doesn’t know about organ
donation.

“Forty years ago a lot
of people didn’t know
what this was about,”
said Nespral. “It’s a well-known procedure now
and there’s a chance you know someone who has
benefited from a transplant.”

Both men agree that the creation of Donate Life Texas, the state’s
official registry for organ, eye and tissue donors, has been the chief
milestone for TOSA.

“By far it’s the biggest development that has occurred over the
years,” Nespral said.

While TOSA’s first registered donor was an out-of-state donor
nearly 10 years ago, Nespral remembers it being an exciting time for
the organization. Now, with the establishment of Donate Life Texas,
TOSA has started to see a shift in activity with registered donors.

“We started off slow, but now we’re seeing a constant number of
registered donors,” he said. “We have room to grow, which is good.”

Donate Life Texas allows donors to make the decision on their own,
ensures their wishes are carried out and eases the burden off families.

“It’s tremendous,” Rosson said of the registry. “Nothing I did is
more challenging than talking to the family; that’s a difficult task.
Now we have this widespread acceptance with people on the registry
and families not having to make the decision. It’s been huge. It’s be-
coming the norm.”

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