New England Donor Services is Giving Thanks for Organ Donation.
By Iohann Vega
In News
New England Donor Services is Giving Thanks for Organ Donation.2025-11-212025-11-21/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/holyoke_logo.jpgHolyoke Mediahttps://holyokemedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/organ-donor-scaled.jpg200px200px
Holyoke officials and the New England Donor Services (NEDS) joined on Friday, November 21st, to celebrate the life-saving gift of organ donation ahead of Thanksgiving.
The event at Holyoke City Hall featured Mayor Joshua Garcia, State Rep. Patricia Duffy, and several local organ recipients and donor families. Among those sharing their stories are East Longfellow resident Elizabeth Gorman, who received a double lung transplant two years ago; Springfield resident Glen Wiley, a liver recipient; and Mike Messer, father of two kidney recipients. Messer’s son, Mark Messer, who is also a kidney recipient and District Director for State Sen. John Velis, shared his story.
The celebration follows four consecutive record-breaking years for NEDS. In 2024, NEDS coordinated donations from 648 deceased donors, resulting in 1,570 life-saving transplants in its New England service area. This level of activity places NEDS among the nation’s top three organ procurement organizations by donor volume, reflecting an 80% increase in annual organ donors since 2020.
