Organ, eye and tissue donors who have given life to save lives were recognized in Bartlesville on Monday morning.

The Jane Phillips Medical Center and Life Share Oklahoma held the Donate Life Flag Ceremony for those individuals who have given life. Kidney donor recipient Andrew Allen also gave a testimony of hope at Monday's event.

Allen said he developed a kidney disease after a strep infection when he was a senior in high school. That led to complete kidney failure when he turned 20.

Allen's father was his first live transplant. That transplant lasted Allen 27 years.

He said the life expectancy for a kidney back then was seven years. About a year and a half ago, Allen received a new kidney from his sister.

Kidney transplants, Allen said, have allowed him to thrive in life and not just survive.

Sussannah Hooper also gave testimony about her son, Aidin, who died following a Fourth of July Parade in 2013. At the hospital where Aidin died, Hooper told her husband that good needed to come out of his death.

The Hooper family was then able to talk to Life Share Oklahoma who determined that Aidin was a heart-valve tissue candidate. Aidin's heart-valve tissue went to a six-month old girl and an 18-month girl.

As a donor family, Hooper said Aidin's donations bring hope to their family in the dark days. She said they were not able to change their son's outcome but they are glad they could change someone else's life.

If you are on the fence with becoming an organ donor, Hooper encourages you to get educated about organ, eye and tissue donation before making a decision.

To learn more about registering to become an organ donor, visit lifeshareoklahoma.org. April is National Donate Life Month.