Donor Alliance.

• Author: Ryckman, Lisa
• Position: HEALTH CARE

WHEN TYLER LOST HIS OWN LIFE HE SAVED five others.

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His parents, Larry and Debbie, learned about the man who received Tyler's heart from letters forwarded through Donor Alliance, the nonprofit organ procurement organization serving Colorado and Wyoming. Facilitating correspondence between transplant recipients and donor families is just one way Donor Alliance helps people heal from devastating loss, and it's just one piece of the organization's complex and emotionally charged mission.

"Evers day, when the phone rings, it means someone has died or is near death, and we take that and try to turn it into something positive" CEO Sue Dunn says. "Our mission is why people choose to work here, and It's why they stay."

That mission to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation involves family approach and recovery programs in more than 100 hospitals, as well as promoting donor registration through education, community partnerships and public outreach.

The proof of Donor. Alliance's efficacy is in the numbers: Colorado is one of the top five states in the nation for registered donors, But the numbers also reflect the magnitude of the organization's...