Location: Tulare County Board of Supervisors

Incident Date: May 22, 2018

Incident Time: 0900 hours

City: Visalia

Posted by: Media Relations

Sheriff honored for support of organ donations

May 22, 2018
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux received a proclamation Tuesday from Vice Chairman Kuyler Crocker during the Board of Supervisors meeting. It was in recognition of the department’s support for organ and tissue donations. 


The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division works closely with Donor Network West, which serves as the federally designated Organ Procurement Organization in Northern/Central California. 


Additionally, Sgt. Michele Price was honored for donating one of her kidneys to DeWayne Bass, a fellow deputy who is now retired. She said she never considered organ donation before until she saw a plea for help on Facebook for a fellow deputy.


Turns out she was almost a perfect match. 


Dep. Bass said he wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for Sgt. Price donating her kidney to him on Sept. 6, 2017. 


“Michele, you saved my life,” he said. “I cannot thank you enough.”


Sheriff Boudreaux asked the Board of Supervisors to name the month of May “Organ and Tissue Donation Month.” The supervisors voted in favor of the designation 4-0, with Chairman Worthley absent.


In Tulare County, there are 410 people on the national organ transplant list.


To help meet some of that demand, the Coroner’s Office works closely with Donor Network West, and consults on almost every case. There have been 24 organ donors out of Tulare County since 2015 and more than 80 organs have been transplanted from these donors.


There have been approximately 200 tissue donors from Tulare County since 2015. Each tissue donor can touch up to 75 lives.


During Tuesday’s presentation at the Board of Supervisors meeting, Sheriff Boudreaux introduced Sgt. Alan Knight of the Coroner’s Office, Sgt. Michele Price, retired Dep. DeWayne Bass and Marcella Corona, community development coordinator for Donor Network West.


Sheriff Boudreaux encourages everyone to check the organ donor box on DMV license renewals or sign up at www.donornetworkwest.org.