One Yes Can Save Eight Lives.

Why this campaign exists

Maiya's story is at the center.

Maiya Cunningham was born with congenital heart disease and spent years defying medical expectations. She passed away in 2008 while awaiting a heart transplant. The transplant that could have changed her story never came in time.

One Yes Can Save Eight Lives is the awareness arm of Maiya's Heart Project. It exists so that another family's wait can end differently.

The math of one yes

What a single donor can do.

Myths & Facts

The conversation gets stuck on these.

Most people who hesitate about donor registration aren't against donation — they're working through a story they heard somewhere. Here's what's actually true.

• Myth

  Doctors won't try as hard to save me if I'm a donor.

  Fact

  Your medical team's only job is to save your life. Donation is only considered after every life-saving effort has been exhausted and death has been declared.

• Myth

  My religion doesn't support organ donation.

  Fact

  All major faith traditions — Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism — view donation as an act of love and generosity. Your pastor, imam, or rabbi can speak to this directly.

• Myth

  I'm too old, too sick, or have the wrong background to donate.

  Fact

  There is no age limit. Most medical conditions don't disqualify you. The transplant team evaluates each potential donor individually.

• Myth

  Rich and famous people get organs first.

  Fact

  The national matching system is blind to wealth and status. Matches are based on medical urgency, blood type, body size, and geography.

• Myth

  My family will be charged for donation.

  Fact

  Donor families never pay anything related to donation. The recipient's insurance covers all donation-related costs.

• Myth

  Donation will disfigure my body.

  Fact

  Donation is performed with the same care as any surgery. Open-casket services are still possible.

Why registration matters

Especially for Black and Brown families.

More than half of people on the U.S. transplant waitlist are people of color. But because too few donors look like them, Black and Brown patients wait longer and die waiting more often. Closer matches happen more frequently within shared ancestry — which is why representation in the donor registry is a matter of equity, not just generosity.

That's where Maiya's Heart Project shows up: in churches, on HBCU campuses, at community walks, and in family kitchens — bringing the conversation to the people who have been left out of it.

How one yes ripples

One decision. Many families changed.

• · A heart for a child like Maiya.
• · Two kidneys for adults whose lives revolve around dialysis.
• · A liver for someone whose family was preparing to say goodbye.
• · Lungs, a pancreas, intestines — each match a story.
• · Tissue and corneas that heal burn survivors and restore sight.
• · A donor family who carries forward a legacy of love.

Community awareness initiatives

How we carry this campaign.