Members N-Z

A young man sitting on top of a bed.

William Austin Todd

Organ Donor

Age: 13
Location: Leander, TX
Date of Donation: 09/18/2001
Hospital: Brackenridge Hospital

William Austin Todd was born February 17, 1988, in Escondido, CA. Willie grew up in Oceanside, CA, and then moved to Leander, Texas. Our “Willie” is deeply missed by long time friends and family from these areas that he grew up in. He was a brilliant student, and received many honors for excellent grades and achievements. He played football, baseball, and loved to ride his skateboard. When he got really good on his skateboard he…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A man and woman standing next to each other.

Monica Tooth

Living Donor

Age: 39
Location: Chicago
Date of Donation: 10/12/2006
Hospital: Northwestern Memorial

Monica Tooth Studzinski 7.25.24 17 years ago, I received my miracle of life, a kidney from my amazing, beautiful, loving, caring, compassionate, and courageous daughter, Monica! At the time, she was 22 years young! Her selfless love shines so brightly. My champion of life, saved my life by donating one of her kidneys to me! Her amazing gift of life has given me 17 beautiful years of life, which has allowed me to do so…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A woman and man in hospital bed smiling for the camera.

Annette Marie Topping

Living Donor

Location: Houston, TX
Date of Donation: 08/11/2009
Hospital: The Methodist Hospital

“Every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you…” — these are the lyrics to a song that my daughter, Annette and I used to laugh at when it was popular in the nineties. Now, we laugh at it for its literal meaning, because, in August, 2009, she gave me the best birthday present I ever got – her healthy right kidney. For several years, my kidney failure from Type 1…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A young boy sitting at the table with his hands in his pockets.

Zachary Torres

Organ Donor

Age: 11
Location: Slaton, TX

Sylvia and Abe Torres lost their son, Zachary when he was 11years-old. He passed away on Jan. 3, 2005. Zachary was able to save the lives of others because he was a compassionate young man that wanted to be a hero in all facets of his young life. Zachary dreamed of leaving the little town of Slaton, Texas and making it big to be the next Julius Jones or Roy Williams, both National Football League…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A man wearing glasses and a hat standing on top of a wooden deck.

Rocky Trammell

Organ Donor

Age: 20
Date of Donation: 07/04/2014

Rocky Trammell, at the age of 20, gave the gift of life. On July 3, 2014 he succumbed to injuries resulting from a severe car accident. On July 4, 2014, he donated Post Circulatory death, which meant his heart stopped beating. He was able to donate his liver, kidneys, eyes and tissue. Rocky was an amazing father, son, and friend. The love he had for his son Kaden was priceless, and he loved spending time…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A man in black jacket smiling for the camera.

Benjamin Tucker

Tissue Donor, Eye Donor

Age: 24
Location: Blue Ridge. Texas
Date of Donation: 05/10/2022
Hospital: UT Southwestern

Ben was born and raised in the Texas panhandle. I’m sure you’ve heard the common saying “everything is bigger in Texas”…well, that his how Ben lived and loved. BIG. His smile was big. His personality was big. His heart was big. His laugh was big. His career was big. When Ben walked into a room, he commonly stole the show.  He captivated others with his smile, laugh, and his kind nature. He made friends wherever…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A young person wearing a graduation cap and gown.

Alma Ugalde

Organ Donor

Age: 10
Location: Houston, TX
Hospital: Ben Taub General Hospital

I am a mother to a child organ donor, her name is Alma. Last May, a brain hemorrhage took her life. Everything happened so fast. From night to morning my daughter was gone. Alma was a marvelous young girl. She and I would often have talks about organ donation. Since I’ve always been a registered donor, I would always tell her that if anything would happen to me, I would want her to donate every…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A young boy is smiling for the camera.

Giovanni Valle

Tissue Donor, Eye Donor

Age: 13
Location: Riverside
Date of Donation: 11/12/2014
Hospital: Riverside Community

Giovanni Valle That Went By GIO, Was A Fun Loving & Caring Boy No Matter What Day It Was Or What Situation He Was In. He Always Found The Fun & Good Side Of Life. Gio Was The Middle Child Of 4 Kids, Loved Creating Content For YouTube & Enjoyed Late Night Walks With His Family. Before Leaving, He Mentioned To His Dad That He Wanted To Help Others In Need & That One Day…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A man in blue shirt and glasses sitting on the ground.

Sgt. Brandon Vance

Living Donor

Age: 27
Location: Dallas, TX
Date of Donation: 07/27/2011
Hospital: Medical City

One day I was driving late to work. I was listening to the radio as is usually my routine. A woman was being interviewed for a promotional deal at a convenience store. The interviewer asked the woman, Is there anything else we can get for you? The woman answered, Yeah, I could use a new kidney if anybody is out there. My first thought was, this is something I have to do. I immediately pulled…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon
A man with a shaved head and blue shirt.

Anthony Varela

Organ Donor

Age: 18
Location: Dallas, TX
Date of Donation: 08/10/2010
Hospital: Baylor Hospital

On August 8, 2010 at 1:18am, the SUV my son was riding in along with some friends, was struck by a drunk driver and my son was ejected from the vehicle. He had a large laceration to the back of his head along with other injuries. The head injury caused Anthony’s brain to swell. After hours of running tests, they determined my son was brain dead. My son was a very happy, loving, caring, affectionate…

Organ Donor Hall of Fame Icon