Nov 5, 2021 5 min read

Etched on a granite wall outside of the Pittsburgh office of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education are the names of the donors who saved the lives of others through their gift of donation.

Matt Keener’s name is on that wall, and on Oct. 24, CORE held its 27th annual “A Special Place” event to honor those organ donors, including Keener, and their families for saying “yes” to donation.

Keener died on Christmas Eve 2018 at the age of 43, after he suffered a catastrophic brain bleed during an outing with his wife, Lori, of Canonsburg, and their son, Ryan, who was 6 months old.

Matt was an organ donor, and on Christmas Day, he saved the lives of eight people who received his heart, lungs, kidneys and other major organs. He also helped at least 75 others who received his corneas and tissue.

Lori shared her family’s journey through organ donation during the virtual ceremony, which was prerecorded at Carnegie Music Hall.

“While we didn’t get our miracle that day, we know he was a Christmas miracle for so many others,” said Lori, who recalled Matt as an amazing father, husband and friend.

Lori said she explains to Ryan, now 3, that his father is a superhero.

“He chose to save other people’s lives, and for us we know that his legacy continues on, and that for him, he had the chance that day to let his life end and let his legacy end, and instead, he’s out there still living on through the people that have received his organs and his tissue,” she said.

In 2019 and 2020, there were 577 organ, 2,347 tissue, and 1,505 cornea donors from Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia who gave others a second chance at life through their gift of donation.

Those donations saved 1,453 lives and healed or restored sight to more than 150,000 others, according to CORE.

But only half of Pennsylvanians are registered as organ donors, despite the fact that nearly 2,500 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia alone.

Approximately 107,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list, with someone new added every 10 minutes.

Prior to Matt’s death, Lori was not an organ donor.

“But I saw the beauty of the process from the first moment of meeting with (CORE),” said Lori, noting CORE members presented her and Ryan with a teddy bear that plays the sound of Matt’s heartbeat when they squeeze it. “That is so meaningful for us to hear that. It reminds us that he lives on in others.”

Lori now finds healing through advocating for organ donation and teaching their young son, Ryan, about the legacy of caring his father left behind.

Lori said she would like Ryan to meet some of the recipients of Matt’s gifts of life when he gets older.

“I want him to know know that his daddy lives on and that his daddy is truly a superhero,” said Lori. “And as I share my story, and as I tell others of Matt, I’m not only keeping his legacy alive, but I know I’m bringing other people to organ donation, and I know I’m helping people understand just how beautiful of a process it is, just how beautiful of a way it is to honor your life and your legacy, and to be able to give that ultimate sacrifice to others and to help so that they may live.”

The ceremony also included interviews with two Pittsburgh-area transplant recipients, and 6-year-old Xyla Blackshear, who is awaiting an intestinal transplant, and her mother, Chanteera.

One of the recipients was Dale Crawford, 27, who underwent a heart transplant in spring 2021.

Crawford said he is grateful for his donor and the donor’s family, who gave him a new chance at life while they were grieving their loss.

“I am so thankful they were able to give me a second chance at life. I want to be able to give back for everything that I was given in this new life,” said Crawford. “I want them to know I’m going to live my life to the absolute fullest that I can because I was given this second chance, and that I am eternally grateful for what sacrifice was made for me to be able to live this second life.”

Donor families also received care packages that included a candle for a virtual memorial candle-lighting.

Susan Stuart, CORE president and CEO, said the ceremony is held annually to recognize the compassion of the heroic donors and the generosity of their families and friends.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to dedicate this day to the legacy of hope the donors left behind, which continues to heal and give life to others,” said Stuart.

Families and friends were also invited to create quilt squares in honor of their loved ones, which CORE will add to one of its donor quilts that are displayed in communities throughout the region.

The ceremony concluded with a special video tribute, featuring the faces of those honored for their choice to give the gift of life.

Lori said it’s important for other donor families to remember the difference their loved ones have made for other families.

“We had the beauty to take something that could have been nothing but a sad, devastating situation and turn it into something that’s filled with hope,” said Lori. “And we know that when that time came, that decision was made to save others’ lives.”

To register as an organ donor, visit registerme.org/core. People can also become registered as a donor when renewing a driver’s license at the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles.