Noah Hernandez, Liver Recipient. Photo courtesy of Sierra Donor Services

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Sierra Donor Services (SDS) proudly joins the nationwide conversation about prevention, education and healing around Breast Cancer Awareness and Liver Awareness Month. These important observances encompass SDS's mission to help save and improve more lives through organ, eye and tissue donation directly in our communities.

Like those awaiting transplants, breast cancer and liver disease continue to affect thousands of people and families across the country. While awareness and early detection remain urgent, many patients facing late-stage diagnoses often require life-changing tissue donation or even life-saving organ transplants.

“Watching my son grow, taking his first step, speaking his first word – we wouldn’t have had that without the gift of a transplant.” said Reymon Hernandez, father of liver recipient, Noah Hernandez. “I wear my green Donate Life wristband every day as a reminder of the gift of life to my son. He received his life-saving liver transplant when he was only six months old. A split liver transplant saved his life.”

"My husband and I met with a geneticist, where I was told I was BRCA2 positive. I chose to have a double mastectomy and immediate reconstructive surgery," said Savannah Hall, tissue recipient. "It was about a week after the mastectomy was completed that my skin just didn't want to heal, my skin was dead. It was a necrotic tissue. At this point, my doctor talked to me about donated tissue. A lot of us think of lungs, hearts, kidneys, liver, and eyes. A donor is a selfless person, and I think it's probably one of the greatest things that you can give to somebody you don't know."

Savannah Hall, Tissue Recipient. Photo courtesy of Sierra Donor Services

Every October, SDS shines a light on how donor gifts that include skin, bone and organs play a vital role in treatment and recovery for patients with these conditions:

Breast cancer survivors often rely on donated skin and tissue grafts to support healing after a mastectomy. For many, reconstructive surgery is a vital step in restoring both physical appearance and emotional well-being. One in eight women are likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Donated skin grafts play an important role in reconstructive surgery, offering not just physical treatment, but a dignified foundation for healing, hope, and confidence.

Patients with liver disease, including hepatitis, cirrhosis or cancer often depend on a transplant as their only chance of survival. An estimated 40% of U.S. adults are affected by some form of liver disease, with nearly 10,000 people currently waiting for a life-saving liver transplant. Many are not diagnosed until the disease is in its advanced stages, after the liver is already severely damaged. That is where donors make all the difference. By giving more than just an organ, they offer families renewed hope and give patients a second chance at reclaiming life.

Sierra Donor Services encourages all Californians to learn about breast cancer and liver disease prevention in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Liver Health Awareness Month, and to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor to help bring hope to those in need, while honoring those who have given the gift of life and the many who are still waiting.

As Sierra Donor Services reflects on over 40 years of impact in our community, the organization remains committed to its mission of saving lives, honoring donors, and educating the public. Be part of this life-changing legacy. Register today at SierraDonor.org.

About Sierra Donor Services
Founded in 1985, Sierra Donor Services is a federally designated, mission-driven nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving and improving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. Serving over 5 million people across Northern California, Nevada and New Mexico, SDS is part of a collaborative network of organ procurement organizations working to advance donation efforts across California, Nevada, New Mexico and Tennessee. For more information, or to register as a donor, visit SierraDonor.org.