The Good We Do - Neonatal donation
IIAM supports families facing unforeseen events prior to or immediately after the birth of their newborn, be it a fatal fetal diagnosis, or brain injury during birth. As there are many thoughts and decisions during this difficult time, donation is one that is often present. IIAM’s Neonatal Donor Program supports efforts to pursue organ and tissue donation for medical research once their babies pass from natural causes shortly after birth.
Hear it directly from the family. The link below shares the amazing story of Amalya Nathaniel Conkel whose donations provided precious gifts to medical research and led to the beginning of IIAM’s Neonatal Donor Program.
Beginning with a mother’s love for her unborn baby, IIAM established a Neonatal Donor Program in 2012. This program offers a needed service to the research community and to families of babies with fatal fetal diagnoses who will die from natural causes soon after birth, or where other fatal outcomes occur during or shortly after the birth. Working with a Steering Committee comprised of bioethicists, professionals in reproductive law, neonatologists, and other subject matter experts, IIAM has created donor guidelines for screening referrals of neonates and determining options for organ and tissue donation for medical research. Since its inception, IIAM’s Neonatal Donor Program has helped families choosing donation to make an important difference with research studying how organs and cells develop in ways that were once unthinkable. Today, parents who receive a non-survivable diagnosis for their baby during pregnancy have more opportunities to create a lasting legacy for their baby’s beautiful but all-too-brief life by donating his or her organs and tissue for medical research.
The IIAM Neonatal Donor Program’s medical research has been profoundly advanced through the generous donation of 789 organs from 196 precious neonatal donors. Behind each of these gifts is a family who, in the midst of unimaginable loss, chose hope and healing for others.
This remarkable legacy began with the courage and compassion of the program’s very first donor family Bethany and Eric Conkel and their beloved baby, Amalya Nathaniel. Their selfless decision transformed personal tragedy into a lasting gift that has opened new doors for scientific discovery and inspired countless families to follow in their footsteps.
Today, the impact of every donor family lives on through research that has the potential to improve and save lives for generations to come. We are forever grateful to each family whose extraordinary generosity has created a legacy of hope, healing, and possibility that will touch countless lives.