A STORY FOR THE BOOKS

Let us introduce you to Mickey Hayes from New York. It was the 1970’s when Mickey went to donate blood at the Red Cross when he found out that he had hepatitis and couldn’t donate blood and was told could not be an organ donor. Flash forward to January 14, 2017 at the home of Bryan’s favorite race, the Chili Bowl. Mickey approached the Driven2SaveLives Activation Zone to pick up swag to show his support for Bryan and the Driven2SaveLives campaign. When asked if he was a registered donor, his heart sank and said, “No. I can’t be a donor because I have hepatitis.”

We were THRILLED to tell him that he absolutely can donate his organs to other patients with hepatitis who are in need of a lifesaving organ transplant.

Faster than a midget race car and with tears rolling down his cheeks, Mickey sprinted over to register his decision to save lives as a donor!

Here’s what Mickey had to say:

“I’ve been a volunteer firefighter for the last 47 years. I have a deep spirit of helping people and feel that I have been held back for many years because of hepatitis. Finding out today that I actually can save someone’s life – after all of these years – means the world to me. A lot of people think that being a donor is a gift later on down the road. For me, it’s a gift to me today knowing that I can finally save lives as a donor.”

Thank you, Mickey, for sharing your story with us. We hope others like you read your story and feel inspired to register their decision to save lives!