Center for Donation & Transplant New York - Vermont

01/24/2025

"My son, Zachary, died at the young age of 19. We discussed becoming a donor when he got his driver's license just a few months before he passed away. He was such a generous and giving person so naturally he agreed. He said he liked the sound of organ donation.
When I had to perform CPR on my son, my nurse brain immediately thought I must keep the blood perfusing to his organs so he can save others. You see, I knew my son was already gone. However, I knew he would want to help others even after he crossed over. The next day we said goodbye to my beautiful son and disconnected him from the ventilator so his organs could be donated.
It is a bittersweet feeling when your child loses their life then you realize others will live on because of Zachary. It would have made him so happy. He loved to make others happy. I miss my son terribly. The void our family feels since he left us is indescribable with words. I truly hope that the recipients of his kidneys and liver reach out to us in some way. It would truly help lessen the pain that we feel since he died.
I have shared the story of organ donation on all my social media outlets and will continue to. As a medical professional, I know the importance of organ donation. I am already registered as an organ donor myself. The rest of my family are already donors or considering becoming one." –Patty, donor mother. 💙💚 Thank you Donate Life America for sharing this story.

01/22/2025

⚠️Please note: Center for Donation & Transplant's 1-800 hotline is currently down. In the meantime, if you need to contact us, please call 515-254-5289. ⚠️

01/22/2025

Thank you to our donors and their families, our amazing staff and our wonderful hospital partners who all made 2024 an amazing year saving and enhancing lives 💙💚 Your decision to donate can be made here www.cdtnyvt.org

01/20/2025

On this National Day of Service, thank you to all who are helping others. You can help save and heal lives by registering your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at www.cdtnyvt.org. 💙💚

01/13/2025

Gabriel "Gabe" Lile was only 23-years-old when he saved countless lives as a donor hero in December 2024.

More than 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Register today

01/06/2025

Check out Donate Life New York State Art Contest!
Share your donation and transplantation perspective through art! Your creative designs can help inspire others to increase organ, eye, and tissue donation and ensure a life-changing transplant for every New Yorker in need. For contest details, visit:

In celebration of Donate Life Month in April 2025, Donate Life New York State (NYS)

01/06/2025

Here's a great news story about the Donate Life Float 💙💚

Danya Bacchus takes us to the Rose Parade, where she gives the story behind the emotionally moving "Donate Life" float.

12/31/2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

12/27/2024

12/18/2024

12/02/2024

A few photos from 2024. Thank you to all of our staff, hospital partners and volunteers 💙💚

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving 🍁

11/15/2024

Albany Medical Center’s Kidney Transplant Program has begun offering robotic nephrectomy as a less invasive option for kidney donation and transplantation, improving the experience for living kidney donors.
Robotic nephrectomy is the removal of a kidney using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. The arms of the robotic instrument are inserted through small incisions, similar to laparoscopic surgery, and controlled by the surgeon from a console. In a living donor nephrectomy, a healthy kidney is removed from one individual and transplanted into the patient in need of a new kidney. These procedures traditionally have been performed laparoscopically or in open (traditional) surgeries.
“The robotic technique provides a three-dimensional view and smaller, more flexible instruments in which to remove the kidney, often leading to a quicker recovery for the patient with less pain and scarring than a traditional surgery,” said Rauf Shahbazov, MD, chief of the division of Transplant Surgery at Albany Medical Center and robotic surgeon. “Our Kidney Transplant Program has a reputation for providing high quality, compassionate care to patients throughout our region and we’re proud to offer this latest technique to enhance care even further.”
John Church, 60, of Delmar, who donated a kidney to his longtime friend Stephen Smith, 64, of East Greenbush earlier this year, was one of the first patients to undergo the surgery using the new technique.
“I was committed to donating my kidney to Stephen either way, but I was happy to hear that there was a much less invasive procedure with a better chance of success,” Church recalled. “They said recovery would be four to six weeks and they were pretty spot on. I was very well prepared by the transplant team and would encourage anyone to consider donating if they are able to.”
Because more than 90,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list in the United States, some people choose to be tested to determine if they are a match for a friend, loved one, or in some cases a stranger. Living donors go through a series of evaluations to determine their suitability to donate.
“The impact of robotic surgery on donors is great. We hope that with minimized pain and a faster recovery, more people will consider living donation,” said Dr. Shahbazov.
Albany Medical Center’s Robotic Surgery program, instituted in 2003, has served tens of thousands of patients for procedures in cardiac, general, gynecological, urological, otolaryngology (ENT), thoracic, pulmonary, hepatobiliary, bariatric, pediatric, and now transplant surgery.

11/13/2024

On , we recognize the incredible kindness of the donor heroes, donor families, registered donors, and living donors in giving the gift of life and hope 💙💚🌏 . If you would like to spread the kindness register today at www.cdtnyvt.org