"Vivian is in my memory every day…she’s a great person but I’ve never met her," said W. Scott Burns, organ recipient.
Vivian Beutel, who went by ‘Viv’ was a beloved 41-year-old neo-natal nurse at Cottage Hospital who died suddenly in 2015. She was also an organ donor.
"Besides me getting her kidney, someone else got her lungs, her liver, and her heart...So, five people lived because of that," continues Burns.
W. Scott Burns' life was saved because of Vivian and now through him her kindness lives on.
"Since then, I’ve gone out of my way to honor Vivian to do whatever I can to support organ donation," said Burns.
For the past 10 years, Burns and the city of Goleta have proclaimed April 'Donate Life Month' to spread awareness and showcase the impact one person can have on many. One donor can save up to 8 lives.
"When you hear a story like Scott’s and you hear this saved my life, and countless others are waiting…you can do something simple and save a life," said Kelly Hoover, Community Relations Manager for the City of Goleta.
In 2023, more than 46,000 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. but on average 17 people die each day while waiting for a transplant, according to organdonor.gov and currently, there are more than 23,000 Californians on the waiting list.
"If you put that pink dot on your driver’s license, let your friends and family know, talk about it," said Burns.
Kidneys are the most needed organ according to HRSA and can even be donated by a living person.
