2019 Haylee Ponte
Name: Haylee Ponte
Type of Donation: Organ, tissue and cornea donor
Age and Location: Age 19 – Sparks, NV
Donation Date: 1/30/2015
Sponsor: Honored by Donor Network West
HAYLEE’S STORY
Haylee Ponte of Sparks, Nevada was an active and vibrant young woman. She loved to ski, dance, and travel with family and friends, spending many weekends at nearby Lake Tahoe. She was an altruist and volunteered her time for a charity event in Reno, called “Moms on the Run,” benefiting local people affected by breast cancer, and she spent time volunteering at a northern Nevada hospital.
Haylee excelled academically as a biochemistry student at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) hoping to become a physician.
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough,” was Haylee’s favorite quote. But her hopes and dreams were sadly taken away when she died in 2015 as a result of an acute asthma attack; she was only 19.
Even in their grief, her parents – Nancy and David – were considering organ and tissue donation before they learned that Haylee had already registered as a donor when she applied for her driver’s license. Knowing that their daughter had made the decision herself was comforting to them, but not surprising because they knew how generous she was in life. Haylee went on to save three lives through organ donation and heal many others with her tissues.
Haylee was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree posthumously from the University of Nevada, Reno, and the certificate is proudly displayed in the home of her parents.
Through her testimony, Nancy was instrumental in helping Nevada’s Senate Bill 112 pass. The bill requires organ and tissue donation be taught in public junior high and high schools in the state. With tears in her eyes, Nancy shared how meaningful it was for her that her daughter became a donor.
She often shares that she is not sure where Haylee learned about donation, but she must have learned about it somewhere and chose to register, and her family is so proud that she did.