Guest Commentary | National Donate Life Month: LifeLink Foundation celebrates the impact of organ, eye and tissue donation
LifeLink of Florida, the nonprofit organ procurement organization serving west and southwest Florida, is joining communities across Tampa Bay this April to observe National Donate Life Month by honoring organ, eye and tissue donors, recognizing the impact of their gifts and encouraging more people to register as donors.
More than 100,000 people are currently on the national transplant waiting list, including nearly 7,000 in Florida. National Donate Life Month spotlights the need for more donors while also recognizing the donors and families whose generosity makes transplantation possible.
In 2025, LifeLink® of Florida partnered with 360 donor families to facilitate 995 transplants, marking a historic year of lifesaving impact.
Behind those numbers are families whose generosity made that impact possible, like Virginia Bentley of Clearwater, whose son, Sean Ryan Jennings Jr., was a registered organ, eye and tissue donor before a fatal motorcycle accident claimed his life in May 2025.
Sean was a 22-year-old Navy veteran who loved fishing and riding his rare Ducati motorcycle. He registered as a donor when he got his driver’s license at age 16, a decision Virginia said he made with his characteristic selflessness. “I’m not going to need [my organs] when I’m gone,” Sean said. “Why not give them to somebody else and help save lives if I can?”
Sean donated his heart, liver, pancreas, both lungs, kidneys, corneas and more to those on the organ transplant waiting list. To honor his legacy, this past February, the Bentley family gathered to celebrate what they called Sean’s “forever 22” birthday, a testament to the life he lived and the lives his decision continues to touch.
Now a LifeLink volunteer, Virginia shares Sean’s story at events and speaking engagements. She credits LifeLink with helping her find a path through grief. “LifeLink has been my only healing and my closest thing to Sean that I have had through this whole experience,” she said. “To watch the greatness that has come out of his donation, I want people to understand how one’s selfless act can impact other people’s lives.”
For Virginia, sharing her son’s story is both a tribute to who he was and a call to action for more people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. “This was Sean’s choice during life,” she said. “A choice that went on to impact many lives.”
One organ donor can save up to eight lives and enhance up to 75 more through tissue donation, making donor registration one of the simplest ways to offer hope to people waiting for a transplant. Anyone can register to become a donor, regardless of age or medical history.
“As we observe National Donate Life Month, we honor donors and families whose generosity saves lives and creates lasting legacies,” said Kelly Cullen, chief operating officer. “While this month brings special focus to their impact, our gratitude extends year-round. We’re also thankful for the hospital and community partners who make this work possible and help share its importance.”
This year’s National Donate Life Month theme uses trees to symbolize life, strength and connection. LifeLink will reflect that theme throughout April through educational campaigns and community outreach, with artwork and materials displayed in hospitals, tax collector offices and other community locations across its 15-county service area.
To learn more or register as an organ, eye and tissue donor, visit mystorycontinues.com.
Sherri Day is the public affairs manager, for the LifeLink Foundation, a federally designated, nonprofit organ procurement organization on the front line of saving lives through organ and tissue donation in west and southwest Florida. For more information about LifeLink visit LifeLinkFoundation.org.