In the immediate grief and heartache following her son’s death in 2004, Celeste Brown was not thinking about the power of organ donation. In fact, at that time, she was against it. 

Today, she shares an entirely different view on organ donation. At the end of April, Celeste, a Lawnside resident, celebrated one year with a new kidney. 

In 2020, Celeste fell sick and joined the estimated 7,000 people across Pennsylvania who are on the waitlist for a life-saving organ transplant. The majority of those patients need a kidney transplant. 

Celeste also became representative of an unfortunate reality – African-Americans are at a higher risk for diseases that lead to kidney failure, such as hypertension and diabetes. 

Thanks to a donor hero, Celeste received her life-saving transplant and is now an advocate for the power of organ donation. 

August is National Minority Donation Awareness Month, an opportunity to spread the word about stories like Celeste’s, and the critical importance of organ donation across diverse communities.