A Night of Music, Food and Life-Saving Impact
A popular Louisiana fundraiser returns later this month with a clear mission: saving lives through organ donation technology.
Fais Do Do Donate will take place March 28 at Live Oak Arabians. The event supports the Ochsner Transplant Institute and raises funds for advanced organ-preservation equipment that helps doctors determine whether donated organs are healthy and compatible for transplant patients.
Organizer Wendy Lipsey says the evening will feel more like a celebration than a traditional fundraiser.
Guests are encouraged to wear Western attire and enjoy a lively night that includes food from City Pork, drinks, a 360 photo booth, selfie robots, and live music from The Hayride, featuring David St. Romain.
“We want people to come out, celebrate life and pass a good time,” Lipsey said. “At the same time, every dollar raised will help save lives.”
How Organ Pumping Technology Helps Patients
Funds from the event will go toward expanding Ochsner’s organ pumping program.
These specialized machines keep organs alive outside the body by circulating oxygen and nutrients. The system collects detailed data that helps doctors determine if an organ is healthy and whether it matches a specific patient.
The technology improves transplant success rates. It also helps doctors avoid using organs that may fail after surgery.
Ochsner currently operates one liver pumping machine and two kidney machines. Organizers hope to raise enough money to add another liver system and two additional kidney machines.
More equipment means more patients can receive life-saving transplants.
A Personal Mission for the Organizer
Lipsey’s connection to the cause runs deep.
At age 18, doctors diagnosed her with a rare autoimmune disease that damaged her liver. She received her first liver transplant in 2009.
Six years later, her body rejected the organ. Doctors told her she needed both a liver and kidney transplant within 72 hours to survive.
She received both organs on March 2, 2015.
Lipsey now shares her story to encourage organ donation and support transplant programs.
“I’m alive today because someone chose to donate,” she said. “This event helps give that same chance to someone else.”