PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Jan. 21, 2026) — The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) has increased the number of lives saved and healed through organ, tissue, and cornea for the seventh consecutive year.

In 2025, the selfless contributions of 484 organ donors from CORE’s service area—spanning western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Chemung County, New York—resulted in 1,191 organs donated for life-saving transplants, representing a 23% increase in organs transplanted from the previous year. This milestone reflects CORE’s leadership among the nation’s more than 50 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and was supported by continued investment in innovative technologies, including advanced organ perfusion systems such as OrganOx, to increase organ utilization and expand access to life-saving transplants.

Among those donors was Liam Lee Cash, 4, of Mount Lookout, WV, who was able to give the gift of life as a donor after his passing in April 2025. According to his mother, Ali Cash, her son’s donation has brought comfort and meaning to her and her family. “In the middle of that heartbreak, I was given a choice, to let Liam’s story end there, or to let his life ripple outward. I knew my answer. Yes—to organ donation. That choice didn’t erase the pain, but it gave meaning. It meant Liam’s heart could still beat in this world. It meant my little boy’s life would continue in someone else’s story—and it has.”

Susan Stuart, President/CEO of CORE, expressed her gratitude, saying, “Increasing the number of lives saved and healed through organ, tissue, and cornea for the seventh consecutive year is a testament to the generosity of our donors and their families, the commitment of our partner hospitals and transplant centers, and the passion and innovation of the CORE team. Together, we’re giving second chances and changing lives.”

Sierra Smith, 28, of Uniontown, Pa., is a two-time liver transplant recipient, first receiving a life-saving transplant in 2020 and again in 2025. Grateful for the care she received and the generosity that made her transplants possible, Sierra credits organ donors and donor families for giving her the chance to keep moving forward. “It’s hard to put into words what it means to be given not just one, but two second chances at life,” Smith says. “Every donor represents hope for someone like me, and I’m incredibly thankful for the families who chose to give during their most difficult moments. Because of them, I’m here—and I’m looking ahead to the future with gratitude.”

CORE’s life-saving efforts in 2025 made possible:

• 573 donated kidneys
• 313 donated livers
• 134 donated hearts
• 139 donated lungs
• 28 donated pancreata
• 4 donated intestines

However, the need remains urgent, with more than 100,000 people nationwide awaiting transplants. Stuart urged everyone to consider making a difference and discuss the topic of donation with their families: “One donor can save up to eight lives and heal 75 others. Signing up to be an organ, tissue, and cornea donor is a simple step that can change the world for someone else. Visit core.org/register to confirm that decision.”

Mark Wallace, 42, of New Castle, Pa., is one of more than 100,000 Americans currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. He has been on the kidney transplant waitlist for more than three years. Wallace says knowing that organ donation continues to grow each year gives him hope. “There are so many people in need. Every year has to be a record-breaking year—because every donor means another family gets more time, more memories, more life.” Wallace often thinks about the person who will one day make that selfless decision, and the family who will stand behind it. “One day, I hope I can look my donor’s family in the eye and tell them that because of the incredible gift their loved one gave, I didn’t just survive,” he says. “I lived. I built something meaningful. I helped people. I made their gift count.”

In addition to organ donations, CORE reported 985 cornea donors, an 9% increase over 2024, and 1,885 tissue donors, reflecting a 14% rise. These gifts restored sight to 990 people and provided healing through tissue transplants—including bone repairs, skin grafts, and heart valve replacements—for more than 140,000 others.

Specifically, in western Pennsylvania, in 2025, 363 generous people were organ donors after their deaths, donating 918 organs for life-saving transplants, 1,373 were tissue donors, each of them healing as many as 75 others through tissue transplants, and 833 cornea donors from western Pennsylvania.

In CORE’s West Virginia territory, which spans nearly the entire state apart from six counties, an incredible 121 individuals became organ donors after their passing. Through their generosity, 273 organs were transplanted, giving others the gift of life. Furthermore, 512 tissue donors brought healing to over 38,000 people, while 152 cornea donors gave the precious gift of sight.

Throughout 2025, CORE continued to advance its mission through strategic investment in innovation, including enhanced recovery practices, preservation methods, and emerging technologies. These efforts support donor families, partner hospitals, and transplant centers by improving organ utilization, reducing barriers to transplantation, and helping ensure more donated organs can be used for life-saving transplants. By combining innovation with compassion and clinical excellence, CORE is strengthening outcomes today while helping shape the future of organ recovery and transplantation.

“It goes without saying that everyone at CORE is driven not by a desire to break records, but by a dedication to generous donors, their brave families, hopeful waiting list candidates, and thankful transplant recipients,” Stuart said. “This is an incredible achievement for them as much as it is for us.”

About CORE:

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of more than 50 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families.

CORE is a winner of the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a presidential-level award that recognizes non- profits for their innovation and excellence. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

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