Arizona Tribune - In Every Storm, In Every Season

CHAPEL HILL, NC / ACCESS Newswire / February 24, 2026 / At HonorBridge, North Carolina's largest organ donation and tissue recovery organization, honoring the gift of life isn't just a slogan - it's a promise. A promise kept 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

This winter, that promise was tested by two rare snow events that buried parts of North Carolina under up to 19 inches of snow, shut down highways, grounded flights, and halted courier services. But while most people stayed home, HonorBridge team members pushed forward because donors and recipients were counting on them.

During one of the largest snowstorms of the season, transplant teams identified a perfect-match kidney, one that could mean fewer medications and a better quality of life for the patient. Unfortunately, the kidney was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the hopeful recipient was out of state. Roads were closed, travel was grounded, and time was running out.

That's when HonorBridge Surgical Organ Recovery Professional Jon Sidell stepped in.

"I drove my Fiat 13.8 miles from my home in Durham to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), rented a Jeep Rubicon at 11:45 p.m., and headed to Winston-Salem to retrieve the kidney," said Sidell.

He navigated 14 inches of snow, passing abandoned and overturned cars. After securing the kidney, he raced against the clock toward RDU, only to find himself stuck behind a line of North Carolina DOT plow trucks crawling along at five miles per hour.

"I told him I had a kidney for transplant and needed to get around the plows," Sidell said. "He told me I was crazy, but then he radioed the trucks and cleared a path so I could pass."

Against all odds, and with cooperation from flight crews who understood the urgency, the kidney arrived early. Later that morning, the waiting recipient received their perfect match.

In another part of the state, HonorBridge Organ Donation Coordinator Melisha Goenner faced a similar challenge.

"I went to open my back door, and there was so much snow that my door pushed the snow away from the house," Goenner recalled. Still, she packed a bag and drove for hours on icy roads because a potential donor and their family were waiting.

At the hospital, the donor's grandmother shared that if donation didn't work out, it would break her heart all over again.

"That was all she had to say to me," Goenner said. "If I had to drive across the state, I would. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that this happened."

In the middle of the storm, the donor was airlifted by Duke Life Flight to Duke Hospital. When no couriers could travel, Goenner risked her safety once again and personally drove a critical lab sample across the state. Though she wasn't scheduled to work, Organ Donation Coordinator Meg Whitaker volunteered to receive the donor and stayed in the operating room until 4 a.m.

"That weekend was hard," Whitaker said. "But what stood out the most was the humanity. People refused to quit. Plans were rebuilt over and over. Time, comfort, and convenience were sacrificed so that organ donation could be honored."

Because they refused to give up, five lives were saved - including two children.

Stories like these are not exceptions at HonorBridge, but the rule. While the national organ donation system faced significant challenges in 2025, HonorBridge achieved record-setting impact for the communities it serves across North Carolina and Virginia.

Thanks to their dedication, HonorBridge recovered 1,155 organs from deceased donors in 2025, enabling the transplantation of 906 organs and saving 789 lives. The organization also recovered 2,986 tissues from 1,517 tissue donors - an 11% increase in tissue donors over the previous year.

Behind every number is a story like Jon's. Like Melisha's. Like Meg's. Stories of team members who will exhaust every resource, drive every mile, and overcome every obstacle to ensure that a donor's final gift is honored and that someone else gets a second chance at life.

This is HonorBridge. Together. Saving Lives.

For more information or to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor, visit www.honorbridge.org.

Contact: Dena Daw, Media Relations/Content Writer
Phone: 919-259-0716
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: HonorBridge

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

M.King--AT