Iowa DOT in Dubuque to Display Tribute to a Local Liver Donor Recipient

Have you ever considered being an organ donor?  I can't think of a better way to "pay it forward" than to provide a life-saving organ to someone.  You may already have friends and neighbors that are organ donors.  Here's your chance to hear a great story about a recipient.

Mike Fleming, a retired Dubuque Senior High School teacher and Hall of Fame Coach, received a life-saving liver transplant in 2018. Now the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is sharing Fleming’s story on a permanent tribute plaque at the Dubuque Driver’s License Service Center, in hopes of inspiring others to become an organ, eye, and tissue donors. The plaque will be unveiled to Fleming, his family, and his donor’s family at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 20th.

The DOT is collaborating with Iowa Donor Network to install similar plaques across the state. The two organizations hope the plaques will inspire more Iowans to say “YES” to becoming organ, eye, and tissue donor when obtaining their driver’s licenses. All the plaques honor a deceased donor, living donor, or recipient from the community in which the plaque is installed.  More than 1.58 million Iowans are registered to be organ, eye, and tissue donors, 97% have registered when getting a driver’s license.

Last week the Iowa DOT received national recognition for the tribute plaque program at the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Annual International Conference when they were awarded the National Donate Life America DMV Innovation Award.

There are more than 105,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in the United States, including nearly 600 in Iowa. Iowans can register to save lives at their local driver’s license service station or at  IowaDonorNetwork.org.

For more information about Iowa Donor Network please visit our website at IowaDonorNetwork.org.