CELEBRATE LIFE: VALLEY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER HONORS DONORS AND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS DURING DONAT

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CELEBRATE LIFE: VALLEY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
HONORS DONORS AND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS DURING DONATE LIFE MONTH
 
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (April 4, 2025) – Valley Regional Medical Center kicked off Donate Life Month by honoring the generosity of donors who gave the precious gift of life and their families, and celebrating the courage and resilience of transplant recipients whose lives have been forever changed.
 
Teresita Mejia, a double kidney transplant recipient, shared her inspiring journey.
 
"I spent most of my high school years in dialysis, but thanks to donors, I am now almost 30 years old living my life free from a dialysis machine," she said.
 
Tess Contreras, whose husband, Jose Cortinas, Jr. was a tissue donor, shared how her husband was able to impact lives with the donation of two corneas and a heart valve.
 
“My husband is a hero and continues to impact lives,” said Contreras.
 
Donate Life Month is focused on raising awareness about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation while honoring those who have saved lives through the gift of donation. This year’s theme, "Let Life Sing," draws inspiration from the return of spring and the songs of birds, both symbols of new beginnings and hope. Just as birds fill the sky with their melodies, every donor’s gift rings out across communities, offering hope and a second chance at life.
 
Currently, more than 100,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list to receive a life-saving organ, with over 10,000 of them being Texans. Tragically, 16 people die each day waiting for a transplant, and every eight minutes, someone is added to the waiting list. However, one organ donor could save up to eight lives and help more than 75 people through tissue donation.
 
 Partners from South Texas Blood and Tissue and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance presented recognition awards to several colleagues at Valley Regional Medical Center. Cynthia Vela, RN, director of the intensive care unit, and Ivan Rivera, RN, director of emergency services, were recognized for their commitment to the partnership with both organizations. Mariana Tumlinson, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, received a Life Saver Award for her work spreading donation awareness at the facility and in the community.
 
"This month encourages individuals to consider registering as donors and to have open conversations with their families about their wishes regarding donation," said Tumlinson.
 
 “South Texas Blood and Tissue recognizes the Valley Regional Medical Center ER staff for their outstanding contributions to tissue donation and honoring donor families with their decision to enhance and save lives through tissue donation,” said Olegario Villarreal, senior tissue partner relations specialist with South Texas Blood and Tissue. “In 2024 their commitment impacted approximately 900 lives.”
 
Texas Organ Sharing Alliance’s Hospital Services Coordinator, Jesse Lara, added, “we are so proud of our partnership with Valley Regional Medical Center. In 2024, our partnership resulted in four families, during one of their darkest moments in their life, choosing the gift of life through their loved one. Those caring decisions saved 16 lives with 18 organs recovered for transplantation. This year alone, we’ve already received a gift of life from one donor who saved three lives with a liver and two kidneys. One of those kidneys saved the life of an individual right here in the Rio Grande Valley.”
 
The Texas Organ Sharing Alliance and Valley Regional Medical Center are both celebrating 50 years of serving communities in central and south Texas and advocating for patients awaiting life-saving organ transplants.
 
For information or to register for organ donation, visit Donatelife.org.
 
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About Valley Regional Medical Center
For 50 years, Valley Regional Medical Center has proudly served the Rio Grande Valley community. The full-service, 214-bed-acute-care hospital is equipped with an Advanced Level III Trauma Center, accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and certified Advanced Primary Stroke Center. With physicians representing more than 25 specialties, Valley Regional Medical Center is a leader in a vast array of high-quality programs. In 2024, the hospital earned recognition as a Healthgrades Top 50 Hospitals for Surgical Care and Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work award three years in a row. For more information, visit valleyregionalmedicalcenter.com.

About HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division
HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division is a comprehensive network of hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, emergency centers and diagnostic imaging facilities in greater Houston, Corpus Christi and South Texas. Facilities in the Gulf Coast Division include: 15 acute care hospitals, four specialty care hospitals, 13 ambulatory surgery centers, 21 3D breast imaging centers, 33 freestanding emergency centers, 24 CareNow® urgent care centers, five air ambulances, more than 90 physician practices and a regional transfer center that provides support for patient transfers into and out of HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division hospitals as well as access to ground and air transportation within a 150-mile radius. HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division is part of HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services with 182 hospitals and 2,300+ sites of care, including 

CELEBRATE LIFE: VALLEY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER HONORS DONORS AND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS DURING DONAT