Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month features activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.
Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month features activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.
As part of the month-long celebration, INTEGRIS Health would like to highlight a local double lung transplant success story. Click the video box below.
Nola’s Transplant Journey
At 72 years old, Nola Harrison is an avid Thunder basketball fan. She rarely misses a game. But last year, she was nearly permanently sidelined due to a debilitating lung condition.
After years of managing asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, pulmonary hypertension and worsening lung disease, Nola’s lungs had swollen and nearly doubled in size. Each breath constricted her airways and restricted her daily life.
Her condition worsened until she ended up hospitalized and put on a full flow of oxygen. At her age, Nola thought there were limited options available to her. “I didn’t think at my age that a transplant was an option, but I was ready to find a solution,” Nola says. “No one at INTEGRIS Health blinked an eye at my age. Instead, my pulmonologists and surgeons provided support and encouragement.”
For Nola’s care team, age was not a factor. “To be considered for lung transplant, patients have to meet a number of criteria to ensure the patient’s safety and that the operation will be a success,” says Arslan Ahmad, M.D., a pulmonary critical care physician at INTEGRIS Health Heart Hospital. “Strictly speaking, advanced age alone should not be the reason to deny someone a lifesaving procedure. At Nola’s late stage of lung disease, her life was very much at risk if we did not perform the double lung transplant.”
Nola received a double lung transplant in August 2025. Her surgery and recovery have been a complete success. She’s breathing on her own with no complications and is back cheering on the Thunder any chance she gets.
How You Can Help People Like Nola
Oklahomans have three options to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Residents can sign-up when renewing their driver’s license, visit LifeShareRegistry.org to sign up online, or call 800-826-LIFE (5433) and request a donor registration form.
