Heart of a Heel encourages organ donor registration

This story was written by Caroline Daly ’24 and originally published on unc.edu

Three Carolina seniors used experiences from their undergraduate studies and inspirational stories from other Tar Heels to help save lives.

Rotimi Kukoyi, Emma Montero and Olu Kopano became friends in their first year as Morehead-Cain scholars. Now, they’re launching Heart of a Heel: a campaign to increase organ donations in North Carolina. Over 4,520 North Carolinians are waiting for a transplant, and 101 people on the waiting list died this past year.

Their initiative provides a registration portal through Donate Life America where people can register to become organ donors online.

“Organ donation is one of the greatest challenges our country hasn’t addressed sufficiently. When they asked me about organ donation at the DMV, I was flustered, said no, and later regretted it,” said Kukoyi. “This campaign is going to save lives across North Carolina.”

Nathan Poesel ’25 is also helping with the project, bringing his film and production experience to tell the story behind Heart of a Heel.

The group found inspiration from three separate sources, two from Carolina and one from Brazil.

HonorBridge, an organ procurement organization in North Carolina, introduced the students to Carolina alumna Kara Thio ’13. When Thio was 3 months old, she was diagnosed with missing ducts for carrying bile from the liver. She needed a liver transplant before her first birthday to survive. In 1992, 8-month-old Thio received a lifesaving liver transplant. Throughout her life, Thio stayed close to her organ donor’s family, who even attended her wedding.

“Something they constantly repeated is that organ donation is life,” said Poesel. “For the families who lose a loved one, part of it is allowing their legacy to live on, with a part of themselves living through another person.”

Another inspiration was former Rameses mascot Jason Ray, tragically killed during his senior year in 2007. Ray’s organ donations impacted 114 people and saved four lives. The University honored Ray by renaming its transplant clinic the UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic.

A third inspiration was the “Immortal Fans” campaign by Brazil’s Sport Club Recife, with parallels to Carolina athletics’ emphasis on loyalty and family. Sport Club Recife partnered with health advocates to link fan identity with donor registration, leading to more than 50,000 new registrations. Local heart and cornea waitlists dropped to zero.

That connection led the students to Carolina Athletics, where UNC Hussman Distinguished Professor of Sports Communications Livis Freeman ’99 and director of special projects Marcus Ginyard ’10 helped with introductions. They filmed videos with men’s basketball legend Antawn Jamison ’99 to encourage more organ donor registrations.

“Antawn has embodied service since his time at UNC. It’s been a core component for him and his NBA legacy,” said Kopano. “We wanted someone who aligned with our values and really represented Tar Heel pride, family and service to the community.”

They also filmed with Thio and her mom to show a living example of a successful organ donation and transplant.

The students hope the campaign will have a ripple effect beyond Chapel Hill. They see an opportunity to give back to a state that’s given them so much.

“That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave at this University, one of gratitude and appreciation,” Montero said. “My dad always taught us that we are better in service to others than in service to ourselves. That’s what I’ve thought about throughout this entire project, and it’s been very fulfilling.”

“If you donate your heart, even if it lands in a Duke fan, they’re always going to have the heart of a Tar Heel,” said Poesel.