Written by Zoe Engels, Contributing Writer and Editor
Meet Tawny Blum, SODA’s Supplies Volunteer!
Since Tawny began volunteering for SODA in March 2023, she has sent 356 supplies packages filled with items like branded t-shirts, table runners, stickers, and buttons to SODA chapters nationwide. In that same time period, with Tawny’s help as the Supplies Volunteer, our chapters have registered 4,670 students as organ, eye and tissue donors and educated 96,343 more!
As a liver transplant recipient from a living donor—her sister—Tawny has made organ, eye, and tissue donation advocacy a central part of her day-to-day life. She also volunteers at two OPOs, UW Organ and Tissue Donation and Versiti, and she volunteers at Donate Life Wisconsin booths and events, frequently speaking to driver’s education classes about organ donation.
“Volunteering for these different organizations has impacted me in a tremendous way,” Tawny told SODA. “I know that the work I do is helping save lives everyday! I have made great friends, and I just love promoting organ donation, so any chance I get to talk about it makes me happy!”
Tawny’s Transplant Story
In 1997, at just 17 years old, Tawny was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a rare chronic disease of the bile ducts in and outside the liver. In 2010, she was diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cholangitis, impacting the bile duct high up in the liver. She suffered from debilitating itching.
“Imagine feeling like you were allergic to your blood,” she said. “I used pen caps, forks, cement, and even a new dish brush to itch with. It was miserable.”
Tawny also suffered from major fatigue, with her parents waking her up for meals and meds as she slept the rest of the time, as well as Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE), which causes dementia-like symptoms. As her health continued to decline, Tawny urgently needed a transplant. Due to the HE, her only option was a living donor, or she would have died waiting for a transplant.
Currently, sixteen people die each day waiting for a transplant. Register to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor to help people just like Tawny!
After a long process, which included giving a whopping 22 vials of blood for analysis, her sister, Tricia, was approved as the donor. She donated 64 percent of her liver to Tawny on September 8th, 2015. When Tricia was originally approved as a match, she came home wearing a t-shirt that said, “Liver Available for Transplant.” Tawny said it was one of the best days of her life.
Tawny and Tricia were discharged from the hospital after seven days, with Tricia taking to bed as her liver regenerated. Tawny was readmitted to the hospital on five occasions with infections. Finally, at the 6-month mark, she began to feel better.
“My sister is my hero, and she gave me the gift of life,” Tawny said. “I also have several friends who have had liver and other organ transplants, and I am grateful for organ donation because donor heroes, both living and deceased, saved their lives.”
Fun facts about Tawny:
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Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation Advocacy
Tawny continues to suffer from residual HE and a bevy of health issues that keep her in and out of the hospital and unable to work. But she knew she wanted to make a difference, telling SODA, “What better way than volunteering and promoting organ, eye, and tissue donation?”
She began by helping organize a blood drive at her local church. From there, it snowballed. She started telling her story at her local DMV and volunteering with Versiti, UW Organ and Tissue Donation, and SODA.
When she started putting out Donate Life swag at blood drives, she was given a SODA flier. She began seeing SODA on Instagram and Facebook and started following chapters so that she could support the posts and encourage students as they promoted organ donation. When SODA put out the request for a Supplies Volunteer, Tawny knew it was a fit and reached out.
Her dedication to promoting organ, eye, and tissue donation is truly incredible. Though not at all expected, during sleepless nights, she’ll prepare supply boxes. When hospitalized, she tries to participate in meetings and events via Zoom or finds a volunteer, such as a family member, to sub in for her.
On her volunteer work and efforts to promote organ, eye, and tissue donation advocacy and education among students, Tawny said, “I think it’s so important for students to learn about organ eye and tissue donation as it is literally saving the lives of potentially their friends or family [and] definitely my friends. Many times, when I have spoken to drivers ed classes, I ask if anyone knows someone that’s been a living or deceased donor or had a transplant, and there is usually at least one [person] in the class. It has touched so many people’s lives, [yet] it does not get talked about enough.”
Left: Tawny and Tricia, Right: Tawny helping SODA at Brookfield East High School create care packages for transplant patients
She added, “Why do I think students should become advocates? Because the more advocates we have will help lower the number of people on the transplant waiting list and help decrease the number of people that will die waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.”
Thank you for all you do for organ, eye, and tissue donation, Tawny!
If you’re a high school or college student, learn how you can get involved and get your supplies sent to you from Tawny at sodanational.org/students.
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