Live On Nebraska

In honor of National , we're celebrating the special bond between horses and the donor heroes who loved them. 🐴💛

"My mom was my best friend. She was a sense of comfort and a sense of home. She was fun, loving, and generous. She had a huge heart, loved animals and being outside.

My mom always loved horses. She started riding in her childhood, trying different disciplines. We were able to have some horses of our own for several years and got to go on a lot of trail rides together. Those are some of my favorite memories with her.

I talk a lot about my mom’s generosity. She was a registered organ donor because she knew she wanted to help someone have a second chance if something happened to her. I honored those wishes proudly and without hesitation.

I know my mom has inspired others to be registered donors and I think that’s amazing. Seeing how many people are affected by the generosity of donation definitely helps me as a donor daughter cope with losing my mom." - Ashley Hummel, daughter of donor hero, Anja

“I knew for sure he wanted to donate, but it just fits in with his personality that he’d want to spread the love further and have that be part of his legacy." 💙💚

Mother of Grand Island man beaten to death finds hope in donating nearly all of his organs For his mom Colleen, the last few days of her son's life was agonizing, but she says that's not where the story ends for her family or Matthew's legacy.

Live On Nebraska's annual Rally for Life Run/Walk at Werner Park is just two months away! 🏃 We are continuing to share Rally for Life teams and the why behind their participation.

"On August 5th, 2014 my Papa, Paul Heath, received the gift of a kidney from his sister, Lucy Kanne. The journey brought both difficult moments and reasons to celebrate, but through it all, our family leaned on one another. Every year, we participate in the Rally for Life Walk to honor Lucy’s incredible generosity, celebrate my Papa’s life and the legacy he left behind, and recognize the strength that has carried our family through every step of the journey." - Team Paul 💜

Register for the 2026 Rally for Life Run/Walk at https://liveonnebraska.org/event/rally-for-life/.

Today is ! Read about kidney recipient, Easton DeJong, whose second chance at life means more time for laughter, play, and all the little moments that matter.

"When I was 23 weeks pregnant, our world stopped. We were told our baby had no kidneys and no bladder, and that the best option was to end the pregnancy. Those words shattered us. But we chose hope.

As more testing was done, we learned Easton had horseshoe kidneys. They were joined together and weren’t working the way they should. He was born seven weeks early and spent 6 weeks in the NICU, where he began fighting for his life before he was even big enough to understand what a fight was.

At just 3 weeks old, he had his first full day of dialysis. His kidneys stayed stable for a little while, but by the time he was around 3 months old, he was in stage 5 kidney failure and back in the hospital on dialysis. For nearly two years, machines became part of his childhood. We watched our baby spend countless hours connected to something that was keeping him alive, praying every single day that he would be big enough to receive a kidney transplant.

As time went on, things became even more critical. Easton went from peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis because of repeated infections. Each infection meant losing another catheter, and we started hearing words no parent ever wants to hear, that we were running out of places to put new ones. Then, at exactly the right time, his daddy gave him one of his kidneys. That gift didn’t just save his life. It gave him a childhood.

Today, we have celebrated 11 years with that precious kidney, and every single day we are reminded what an incredible blessing it is. A transplant isn’t a cure. Easton still lives with chronic kidney disease and several other medical conditions. He takes medications every day, his blood pressure is watched closely, illnesses can quickly affect his kidney, and hospital stays are still part of our lives. But because of that transplant, his story became so much bigger than hospital rooms.

He learned to walk. He gets to go to school, swim, laugh until his belly hurts, play video games with his friends, and cheer louder than almost anyone for his sport teams. He can’t safely play contact sports, and that’s something that has been hard for him to accept, but it has never taken away his love for the games. When people meet Easton, they see a funny, kind, sports-loving 13-year-old. They don’t always see everything it took to get him here.

They don’t see the dialysis machines.
The 60 plus surgeries.
The sleepless nights.
The fear.
The prayers.
Or the countless people who poured their hearts into saving our little boy.

There will never be enough words to thank the doctors, nurses, surgeons, therapists, and every single person who has cared for Easton over the last 13 years. They didn’t just care for a patient, they cared for our son. They carried us through some of the hardest moments of our lives and continue to stand beside us today.

When I look at Easton now, I don’t just see a transplant recipient. I see the tiny baby we were told might never have a chance. I see a little boy whose daddy gave him the greatest gift imaginable. And I see a teenager who reminds us every single day that miracles don’t always happen all at once. Sometimes they happen one day, one year, and one birthday at a time.

This National Be a Kid Day, that’s exactly what we’re celebrating. Not just the transplant. Not just the medicine. But the beautiful, ordinary moments that once felt impossible. Watching Easton simply get to be a kid. 💚" - Danielle DeJong, mom of kidney recipient, Easton

On this National Day of , we're sharing the story of donor hero, Jeff Befort, whose legacy continues to inspire and save lives. ❤️🎸

"Jeff was a kind, intelligent, humorous, and helpful individual. He was always dedicated to uplifting those around him and attempting to address any difficulties they faced. His capacity for unconditional love and his desire for others to find happiness were truly remarkable.

He also had a great passion for music, which was one of his favorite pastimes. Additionally, Jeff actively volunteered at a local food bank, taking pride in helping others. He had two cats that he would have done anything for, he loved animals as much, if not more, than he loved people.

Jeff was a devoted fan of several bands, particularly within the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genres, such as Pantera, AC/DC, Slayer, and Megadeth, among others. However, he was very open-minded and willing to listen to different types of music. For example, I once bought a Tommy James and the Shondells tape, and although Jeff was patient and tolerant, he eventually gently asked if we could listen to something else after hearing it multiple times.

The decision to donate Jeff’s kidneys was both one of the most difficult and one of the most meaningful choices we have ever made as a family. Losing Jeff was like losing a significant part of ourselves. At the time of his passing, we had a high school friend who was in need of a kidney. While we did not know if Jeff would be a compatible donor, we were committed to doing everything possible. Jeff was a fixer at heart, and he would have been deeply upset if we had not done all we could. As a registered donor, it was important to us to honor his wishes.

Losing Jeff meant losing a son, a brother, a best friend, and much more. Fortunately, we were able to connect with one of the recipients of his organs and have developed a close relationship with her and her family. My sister and I traveled to Texas to meet her in person, and she, along with her husband and son, later visited us and met our parents. It has been a profound experience to build this relationship, and we are grateful that her extended family has been able to enjoy additional time with their loved ones—her husband, children, and grandchildren. Knowing that Jeff’s gift has contributed to their continued happiness makes this decision even more worthwhile." - Molly Freeze, sister to donor hero, Jeff