Visitors strolling through the first floor of The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) Jennie Sealy Hospital often pause when the shiny silver leaves of a tree-shaped wall installation catch their attention.
Each leaf on the Tree of Life is an engraved nameplate that represents the ultimate act of generosity: organ donation.
At first glance, each leaf appears to tell a single story. In reality, every leaf tells many. One story may end with a gift born of tragedy, while others are reshaped by that same gift.
On April 10, the gathering by the Tree of Life drew not only casual onlookers, but people whose lives had been irrevocably changed.
A single organ donor can save up to eight lives and provide healing tissue to up to 75 more recipients, according to Kristina Garcia, hospital services supervisor at Southwest Transplant Alliance.
Garcia took part in a hospital celebration recognizing the important work and meaningful sacrifices that led to 100 organ donations at UTMB Health over the three-year period from January 2023 to December 2025, in addition to the thousands performed throughout the history of the institution.
“This lifesaving work is made possible by a powerful decision — when someone says yes to donation,” Garcia told the crowd. “In a moment of unimaginable loss, families choose hope. They choose generosity, and through this decision, their loved one's legacy becomes something incredible — the chance for others to live, to have more days with their families.”
Some of those gathered were family members of deceased organ donors. Others were organ recipients or living donors. Still others were medical professionals who care for transplant patients. A few filled more than one role.
Kayla Polidori, a registered nurse and transplant coordinator at UTMB Health, is a living kidney donor whose recipient was also in attendance. During the ceremony, Polidori read the list of living donors for 2025. The list of deceased donors was read by Victor Blanco, a UTMB Health outreach and education coordinator with the kidney acquisition team who received a kidney transplant 13 years ago.
Dr. Trine Engebretsen, a transplant surgeon and assistant professor in the UTMB Department of Surgery, also spoke. She was Florida’s first recipient of a liver transplant when she was 2 years old. Years later, her husband received a liver transplant at age 27.
Jerry Mansfield, UTMB Health vice president and chief nursing executive, recounted the loss of his 15-year-old brother-in-law. He said the family has been comforted for years by the knowledge that other lives were saved by his organ donation.
Garcia said she enjoyed eight additional years with her mother after a heart transplant performed at UTMB Health extended her mother’s life. Garcia invited Karen Kislingbury, a physician assistant and heart transplant coordinator who cared for her mother years ago, to the podium to recognize the guidance she provides to patients and their families.
According to the Southwest Transplant Alliance, the Dallas-based nonprofit organ procurement organization responsible for donor procurements at UTMB Health Galveston and League City campuses, three in 1,000 individuals die in a way that allows them to become organ donors. That makes every potential donor even more valued, Garcia said.
More than 100,000 men, women and children in the United States, including more than 10,000 in Texas, need an organ transplant to live. While the number of registered donors is steadily growing, the need still far outweighs the number of transplants available each year. In fact, every eight minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list, according to the Southwest Transplant Alliance.
In 2023, the UTMB Health community experienced the loss of a valued colleague, Josette Armendariz-Batiste, who died unexpectedly. A leaf on the Tree of Life commemorates her organ donation. After Polidori donated her kidney, she requested that her leaf be next to Armendariz-Batiste, who was UTMB Health chief nursing executive and a mentor and friend to so many in the university's community.
Jennifer Casso, a UTMB Health nurse manager, presented a tribute to Armendariz-Batiste.
“Josette led with her heart guiding her decisions and genuine care for others,” Casso said. “She had a storied ability to bring people together in pursuit of shared goals. Under her leadership, collaboration felt natural, and everyone walked away stronger, more connected, and inspired. In her final act, Josette gave the gift of life, a reflection of the way she lived each and every day. Even in passing, she chose to give herself so that others might go on, offering hope, healing, and a second chance at life.”
To learn about organ donation, visit the Donate for Life Texas website.