Brett Milam • Network for Hope • Press Release
A donor mom and the woman who now carries her son’s heart are joining other donor families and transplant recipients on a Caribbean cruise coinciding with National Donor Day on February 14.
Susan Palmer, a Lexington native, lost her son Will Caudill in 2023, and he became an organ donor. Through his generous donation, Holly Cole, a Louisville resident, received his heart at UK HealthCare and a second chance at life.
In April 2024, just months after the transplant, Susan and Holly met for the first time—a rare and emotional moment for donor families and recipients. Susan was able to hear her son’s heartbeat again in Holly, whom she has come to call her “bonus daughter” and has an incredibly strong bond.
Now, the two are taking their bond to the sea. On Saturday, February 8, Susan, Holly and 14 other donor families and transplant recipients will board the Harmony of the Seas for the third annual Donate Life Cruise. This special voyage, an effort driven by donor families and recipients from Network for Hope's service area, offers an opportunity for families to connect, heal and celebrate the gift of life.
"Our donor families love to be amongst people where they can be their whole authentic selves and talk about their loved one without judgment," said Gretchen Starnes, Family Aftercare Manager at Network for Hope. “For many, it’s their mission to share their loved one’s story and spread the Donate Life message.”
The group includes heart, liver and lung transplant recipients, each one grateful for a second chance at life. Thanks to their donors, they are now able to experience moments like this cruise, opportunities they once thought impossible.
“What better way to educate the community than with a heart recipient and her donor's mother putting faces to the power of donation and transplantation?” Starnes added.
The ship will sail from Galveston, Texas, and visit Roatán, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Cozumel, Mexico. As the journey home begins, the families will celebrate National Donor Day on Friday, February 14, a day dedicated to raising awareness about organ, tissue and eye donation.
To learn more about Network for Hope, visit https://www.networkforhope.org.
To learn more about Donate Life Kentucky Trust, visit https://www.donatelifeky.org.
About Network for Hope
Network for Hope is a nonprofit organ procurement organization that serves nearly 7 million people. Through our legacy organizations, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, our united organization has worked closely with local hospitals since the 1980s to facilitate the recovery of organ and tissue donations. We serve 136 counties throughout Kentucky and neighboring states, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
About Donate Life Kentucky Trust
Donate Life Kentucky Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting organ, tissue, and eye donation in Kentucky, funded by dollar donations at driver’s license offices, philanthropic gifts, and volunteer efforts. The Trust engages in fundraising campaigns and events, which all go toward its patient assistance fund, assisting donor families, and promoting donation education.