Every November, Lifesharing’s Family Services team organizes a special tribute to organ and tissue donors for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Lifesharing employees build an ofrenda (altar) and display the photos of recent donors who have given the gift of life. Preparations for this event start weeks in advance, with team members creating traditional sugar skulls from scratch and ordering hundreds of fresh marigold flowers to adorn the ofrenda. Each sugar skull is decorated by a Lifesharing team member with the goal of creating a beautiful work of art that tells the story of the donor’s life. On November 1, 2025, the families of these donors were invited to Lifesharing to see the beautiful ofrenda made in honor of their loved ones. Lifesharing Director of Family Services Wendy Garrison and Organ Family Services Supervisor Melissa Culver lead the team that spearheads this special event.

Watch these videos:

Creating the Sugar Skulls

Celebrating Día de los Muertos

Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser, MSN, CPTC, is adding a new title to his name: President of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO).

Trageser will lead strategic planning efforts for AOPO, the organization representing most of the nation’s organ procurement organizations (OPOs). OPOs play a key role in the U.S. transplantation system. They help recover vital organs from deceased organ donors and match those organs with patients on the transplant waiting list. Trageser will advocate for patients on a national level and focus on helping AOPO achieve its goal of 50,000 annual transplants by the year 2026.

“OPOs are a critical lifeline for people in need of a transplant,” said Trageser. “I’m honored to accept this leadership role in AOPO as we embrace new technologies and utilize advanced organ recovery methods in our quest to save even more lives.”

Last year, the nation’s OPOs helped transplant more than 43,000 vital organs such as hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys. Organ donors from Lifesharing alone saved 514 lives in 2024 — a regional record.

Trageser, a registered nurse since 1998, brings decades of clinical experience to this new national position. Under his leadership, Lifesharing has seen rapid growth in the number of organ donors and organs transplanted. He will continue to lead Lifesharing as executive director, a position he has held since 2022.