National Nurses Week, observed May 6–12, is a time to recognize the tireless dedication, compassion, and skill nurses bring to every corner of healthcare—including the world of organ, eye, and tissue donation. At HonorBridge, nurses are the backbone of our mission to save and heal lives. Our own President & CEO, Danielle Bumarch, began her career as a nurse in the United States Air Force, a foundation that continues to shape her leadership and commitment to our work today. Put simply, we could not do this without them.
This week, we’re proud to celebrate all the incredible nurses who support donation, but today we’re highlighting two of our own: Alyssa Lail and Stephanie Williford, both Organ Donation Coordinators (ODCs). While we wish we could spotlight every nurse on our team, Alyssa and Stephanie represent the dedication and spirit that all our nurses embody.
Alyssa Lail, RN
Can you share a memorable experience in your career that had a significant impact on you?
Before joining HonorBridge, I worked as a bedside nurse in the Neuro ICU at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for nearly three years. About a year into my time there, I cared for a patient who had suffered a massive ischemic stroke. While a devastating injury like this is never anticipated, it was even more unprecedented by her lack of prior medical history and only being in her 40s. The stroke had left her unable to see or move anything except her right arm.
Although she was intubated, she was awake. During my shifts, we worked together to find other ways for her to communicate. She began signing to me with her hand and writing messages on a piece of paper. Over the few days I cared for her, we built a strong rapport, and I got to know her kind family. She even came up with her own way of saying thank you: she would sign “I love you” whenever I or one of her family members did something for her.
While she was in the ICU she was under something called a “swell watch,” monitoring for any signs of brain swelling post-stroke. A week later, I wasn’t assigned to her care, but I heard she had been holding steady. Then, while I was working with other patients down the hall, her daughter came running toward me in tears, clutching a small piece of paper. She handed it to me and scrawled on that paper, in all too familiar handwriting, was my name. The daughter told me her mom was getting rushed to surgery due to her brain swelling and she had written my name down; she wanted to see me before going down to surgery. They were in the midst of packing her up and rolling her down to the OR when I arrived at her side. I rushed to her and held her right hand. I told her we had an amazing neurosurgical team there and she was in great hands, that I would see her when she got out of surgery. She squeezed my hand and signed “I love you.”
The surgery went well. She recovered enough to leave the ICU the following week. Before she left, her daughter cut out the piece of paper with my name and wrote me a note on the back. I still keep that piece of paper on my refrigerator.
I look at it when I need a reminder of why I chose to become a nurse—to help people and their families, to be a light in the darkness. I hope that patient and her family are doing well. I’m so thankful I get to do something this meaningful.
Stephanie Williford, RN
What inspired you to become a nurse, and what is your favorite part of your job?
Two things inspired me to become a nurse. First, I was working at an in-home infusion company, and my boss was a nurse who was an amazing person who gave with all her heart. She actually helped me get my job at WakeMed in the ER, to help my career. My other inspiration was taking care of my grandmother who had Alzheimer’s. She lived with us in Raleigh, and I was able to help take care of her. She was the main reason I went back into nursing, so I could help others the way she always helped me when I was younger. The full circle of me taking care of her was hard, but I would not be who I am today if it wasn’t for her illness and moving down here.
Can you share a memorable experience in your career that had a significant impact on you?
My most memorable experience is the one that made me recognize I wanted to be an ODC and work for HonorBridge (Carolina Donor Services at the time). I was taking care of a gentleman for multiple days, and had a great rapport with his family.
They had made the decision to move him to comfort care, and the patient was a registered organ donor. However, the family struggled with that decision and requested that we show them his ID, not just the Document of Gift.
A large family meeting was held in our hospital conference room. The patient’s aunt and one of his brothers served as the main spokespersons. His elderly mother sat quietly in the back corner. Carolina Donor Services had an ODC and Steve Edwards, a hospital liaison, present at the meeting. I attended as well.
I remember walking over to the mother, gently holding her hand and saying, “Ma’am, I am so sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what you are going through. No parent should have to bury their child. But if your child could live on and save others’ lives, wouldn’t that be worth it?”
She looked at me and said, “I never thought of it that way. I only thought of you cutting up my son.”
The family decided to go with organ donation due to our conversation. Afterward, Steve asked me to share my experience at the Donation Resource Team (DRT) meeting. That encounter inspired me to tell Steve I was interested in joining the team—and to let me know when a position opened.
I’m so grateful for that experience. It’s what led me to where I am today at HonorBridge.
