Elise Lathrop

Type of Donation:       living kidney donor

Age and Location:      Age 22 - New Orleans, LA

Date of Transplant:           12/02/2019

Sponsor:                      Honored by Dignity Memorial Providers of New Orleans

ELISE’S STORY

In 2019 while working as an apprentice at a funeral home in New Orleans and attending mortuary school, Elise found the opportunity to spread life amongst the death she faced daily. At the same funeral home, the husband of one of the funeral directors was in need of a kidney; this was very unexpected news for the young couple. Elise was in an optimal position in life to donate, so she followed her desire to help. In doing so, she has made connections with their wonderful family and is truly honored to have been able to improve the life of such a well-loved individual. They both recovered wonderfully from surgery. Her recipient is now back to being a full-time firefighter and is entering nursing school. Elise has since graduated college and is on track to become a licensed funeral director and embalmer. She wants to spread the message of compassion and the importance of helping others. Organ donation - the gift of life - is one of the greatest gifts you can give, but she wants to emphasize that you should strive every day to help make the world a better place and that no action is too small.