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Dan Daggett’s kidneys were functioning at less than 9% when he started dialysis. Five months later, the Warsaw resident’s friend since childhood, Jeff, started tests to see if he could be a living kidney donor for Daggett.
“We both knew it’d be a long shot,” Daggett said. “When the tests were complete, it wasn’t what they called a perfect match. But it was very close.”
Daggett and Jeff underwent their recovery and transplant surgeries in July at IU Health in Indianapolis, according to a provided news release from the Indiana Donor Network. Daggett spent five days in intensive care battling low blood pressure before released for home while Jeff returned to work in six weeks.
“I took a couple months off after that to recover,” said Daggett, whose career has spanned more than 30 years with WRSW 107.3 FM in Warsaw. “I’m still slowly recovering with so much help from my wife, Jennifer, with my medications, doctor visits and lab appointments. I’m getting stronger every day.”
Daggett’s now enjoying the simple things in life, he said – everyday things he used to do before his kidneys began to fail.
“I love cooking dinner for my wife and me. I like to drive. I just like having the energy to normal, everyday things now. That means the world to me,” he said.
Hoosiers saved lives in 2025 with their gifts of life. Indiana Donor Network coordinated 1,214 lifesaving organ transplants made possible by 1,379 donated organs from 467 Hoosiers.
Through tissue and cornea donation, the organization recovered 1,558 tissues to help save and heal lives and restore sight from 15,734 Hoosier tissue and cornea donors.
“We continue to enhance our operational excellence, provide superior clinical expertise and provide unmatched care and compassion through all we do to save lives and serve donor families and our partner hospitals throughout Indiana,” said President and CEO Kellie Tremain. “Our utilization of the latest technologies available to make more donated organs stronger and more viable for successful transplantation significantly increased our abilities to save lives.”
Other major milestones achieved by Indiana Donor Network in 2025:
• Facilitated 18,434 interactions with Indiana donor families through Aftercare Support.
• Provided programs, grief and counseling services, and support to 3,102 donor family members.
• Experienced 960,934 “yes” decisions to be a donor by Indiana residents; today, more than 4.5 million Hoosiers have made a choice to save lives through donation.
• Managed 252 organ and tissue donation advocates who volunteered more than 19,194 hours and added 50 new advocates throughout Indiana.
• Reached 205,983 Hoosiers through community presentations that offered education about organ and tissue donation and encouraged attendees to sign up to be donors.
• Led 756 middle and high school presentations, reaching more than 52,844 students throughout Indiana.
• Raised $1.1 million in fundraising support for Indiana Donor Network Foundation.
• Installed the new Indiana Donor Network Donor Memorial in Indianapolis, honoring the lifesaving legacies of Hoosier organ and tissue donors.
“We achieved Tier 1-A status in 2025, the highest ranking an organ procurement organization can receive in the U.S. by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” Tremain said. “By collaborating with donor families and our hospital partners throughout the state, our lifesaving work remains dedicated to the legacies of Hoosiers who made selfless decisions to save lives through organ and tissue donation.”
While more than 48,000 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2025, more than 105,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant – that includes more than 1,400 Indiana residents. Every day, 17 people die waiting while every 8 minutes, another person is added to the list.
One organ donor can save eight lives. One tissue donor can heal more than 75 others. One cornea donor can restore sight to two people.
Despite age or medical history, anyone can sign up to be an organ donor. There are five ways that Hoosiers can sign up to become an organ donor:
• They can say “yes” when conducting business at their local Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch.
• They can sign up online at DonateLifeIndiana.org.
• They can say “yes” when they apply online for a hunting, fishing or trapping license through the state Department of Natural Resources.
• They can sign up when applying for or renewing their professional license to work in Indiana through the state’s Professional Licensing Agency.
• They can say “yes” through the Health app on their iPhone or iPad.
