Florida now has a statewide organ donor registration system. The personal tragedy of a Tallahassee family has become a major driver for the initiative.
Ron Sachs is the founder of a communications firm. But he says even more than his professional accomplishments, he's always been proud of his kids.
" 'Aimee-o' was the middle of my three daughters, Aimee Nicole Sachs. She was tiny because she was premature and as a grown woman was 4-(foot)-10 and 100 pounds. But she had a passion for journalism and a passion for sports."
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That passion even led to a stint in Atlanta, where Aimee reported baseball for MLB.com. Then this young and vibrant woman had a stroke. Then another one.
"And it became something called locked-in syndrome, where she was on a ventilator, she could not move; she was essentially paralyzed. But she could think and have emotion. But the only motion of her body she had any control over was the blinking of her eyes."
Ron Sachs said Aimee's prognosis was grim.
"And I told her if you want to live like this, people do it and we'll help in every way we can. But if you don't want to live like this, let me know by shutting your eyes. And she instantly shut her eyes. And I said, ever since you were 16, you have it on your driver's license that you want to be an organ donor. If you're choosing to leave this life, do you want to be an organ donor? And she shut her eyes again."
Aimee Nicole Sachs died the last day in May 2023. She was 38.
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But her dad said her organ donations made it possible for some other folks to live.
"Two young men in their 20s received her kidneys, and they're alive today because of her. And a young mom in her early 40s with two teenage boys and a husband received Aimee's liver."
Sachs said he's in regular touch with these recipients, who he essentially considers part of his family. Typically, he says, as many as eight people benefit from an organ donor. Right now, more than 5,000 Floridians are on the waitlist.
And since fewer than two out of five Florida drivers sign up as a donor when they get their driver's license, Sachs is helping promote the Donate Life Florida registration initiative.
It's National Donate Life Month, so the time for the message is right, although the need for donors is year-round.
"And whenever your time on this world is done, that gift of love and life will deepen your own legacy," Sachs said.
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