Network for Hope

08/27/2026

Adria Johnson, Donor Mom, remembers her son Kenneth, affectionately known as KJ, as her sunshine.

“His spirit was one that brought happiness, brought warmth, brought tenderness, brought understanding.”

KJ died from injuries sustained after he and his younger brother were hit by an impaired driver. At the hospital, Adria learned that at 18, KJ had made the decision to become an organ donor.

His heart was donated to a 36-year-old man named Justin, his kidneys were donated to two women, and other gifts contributed to medical research and advancement.

While grief remains an incredibly personal journey, Adria finds comfort in knowing KJ’s legacy is helping others live on. Today, Adria carries both the grief of losing her son and the knowledge that his decision continues to touch lives.

"My sunshine was everything ... but my sunshine is everything. ... I’m so grateful for the love that he poured into me, that he poured into so many people and the love that transcends his earthly body."

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/oLi2fJuxw8w

08/25/2026

"You have to be that spokesperson for your kid, trust your team, trust your doctors because they really do have your best interests at heart."

— Tonita Rose, Mother of Aubree, Heart Recipient

08/21/2026

How One Family’s Heroic ‘Yes’ Led to a Life-Long ‘I Do’

In 2003, when Brooklyn was only 18 months old, her mother, Ashley, was told that Brooklyn had three days to live and to begin making funeral arrangements. The family, from Letcher County, Kentucky, traveled three hours to Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center for Brooklyn’s care. Brooklyn had a genetic disorder that impacted her liver, and a liver transplant was needed to save her life.

Thanks to a heroic donor family, Brooklyn received her lifesaving transplant.

A 10-year-old boy named Michael was Brooklyn’s liver donor. When Brooklyn was 3, she met Michael’s brother, Noah.

Brooklyn and Noah grew up as friends after their families connected. Connections between donor families and transplant recipients can be rare due to privacy protections, including HIPAA, distance, and other factors.

Once they became adults, their friendship developed into something more. They would FaceTime for hours before Noah made the first move and asked Brooklyn out.

Noah proposed to Brooklyn on Christmas Eve 2025. She said yes. They are getting married in September 2026.

Brooklyn said of her donor hero, Michael, “I would thank him for saving my life, bringing me to my husband and the rest of his family, and he's truly my hero.”

08/20/2026

Education and prevention are an important part of our life-saving mission. 💚

Join us Saturday for Live Healthy & Move, connecting our community with free health screenings, education and resources that support healthier lives, including greater awareness of kidney health and kidney disease.

📚 School supplies will also be available while supplies last.

📅 Aug. 22

⏰ 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

📍 Forest Park | 1201 W. Kemper Road, Cincinnati, OH 45240

08/19/2026

After waiting for a life-saving transplant since 2022, 11-year-old Keegan Smith received a double lung transplant last week and is now recovering.

We’re grateful for the donor hero and donor family whose decision made this transplant possible.
Every transplant begins with the gift of donation.

An 11-year-old boy from Northern Kentucky is recovering in the hospital after receiving a life-saving double lung transplant last week.

08/18/2026

Saturday, we hosted Camp Hi-Hope. 💙💚

Camp Hi-Hope is one way Network for Hope supports donor families beyond donation, providing a supportive space to connect with others who understand grief, build meaningful friendships and simply enjoy being together.

We’re grateful to everyone who helped create this space.

08/13/2026

Our CEO, Barry Massa, speaks directly about the intention to decertify Network for Hope, addresses recent reporting about our organization, and reinforces our commitment to maintaining trust in the life-saving work of organ donation and transplantation.

Our mission remains unchanged: to protect patients, honor donor heroes and their families, support those waiting for a life-saving transplant, and continue to strengthen the donation process.

We remain proud of our team and their work serving the community. As we challenge this decision, our commitment is unwavering to ensure organ donation services continue uninterrupted.

08/05/2026

Today, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Health Resources and Services Administration announced a decision to decertify Network for Hope, the organ procurement organization serving nearly 7 million people across four states since 2024.

Network for Hope strongly disagrees with this decision and will pursue all available legal remedies to challenge and overturn it.

08/04/2026

"Hope means to have faith in something. To believe it will come true."
— Aubree Rose, Heart Recipient

08/02/2026

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month.

This month shines a light on the need for more organ, tissue, and eye donors in multicultural communities and the importance of equitable access to transplantation.

Today, nearly 62% of people waiting for a transplant are from multicultural communities. Because compatible matches are more likely to come from donors with similar genetic ancestry, every donor registration has the potential to make a difference.

Learn more and register your decision at NetworkforHope.org