Organ donations are at a record high in New England, with an 80% increase since 2020. New England Donor Services say there were 648 organ donors last year, which led to 1,570 organ transplants across New England in 2024. That includes 78 donors and 183 transplants here in Maine. Each recipient was given a new chance at life. One of those recipients was an 8-year-old girl. Emily King had a lung transplant this past July. She's doing well, but still recovering. Her mom, Stephanie King, said Emily can't go back to school yet or have much contact with the outside world. However, this wasn't her first transplant. At just 2 years old, her lungs were failing. She was running out of options and time."That's when transplant started to be the only option left," King said.Not even two days later, Emily had a new set of lungs because, unfortunately for another family, they lost their daughter, Hannah, and chose to donate her organs. "When all of the medical science couldn't save Emily, a 22-month-old little girl did," King said. "So check the box, become an organ donor. Make that choice for sure."It was a few years after that when Emily struggled to breathe again. For seven months, Emily and her family waited for another transplant. "How do you live waiting for someone else to lose their whole world?" King said. "We would always say we're not waiting for that because we don't have any control over that, we're waiting for somebody to make the hardest decision in their darkest day." New England Donor Services says the high number of donations that save people like Emily is a testament to dedicated staff and the generosity of New Englanders. "It's really individuals out there in our region that understand the importance of organ donation and are making that decision to be organ donors and their families that are making the decision to donate when that time comes," said New England Donor Services CEO Alex Glazier.Today, Emily enjoys each moment she can just be a kid, while her parents say the gift of seeing who she will be as she grows up is priceless. "It's amazing to see her ride a bike, play baby dolls, talk about what she wants to do with her future, go to school," King said. "If you have the opportunity where your loved one or you're making the decision for your loved one, to be that for somebody else, it is the best gift you could give anybody."If you want to register to become an organ donor to help save lives like Emily's, New England Donor Services says you can do it when you renew your license or anytime at Registerme.org.Related content: