Curtain rises on play bringing awareness to organ donation

The play "The Tin Woman" follows the post-op heart transplant of a young woman who feels the need to connect with the family of her donor.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - In a historic St. Paul theater, built more than 100 years ago for silent movies, the stage will come alive with sound, laughter, and dialogue in a contemporary play to shine a light on organ donation.

Called "The Tin Woman," a clever take on Jack Haley’s beloved character from "The Wizard of Oz," the play follows the post-op heart transplant of a young woman who feels the need to connect with the family of her donor.

"What drew me to the play was just the fact that it is very funny and very comical because of the characters that are in it and some of the situations that they are in," said Joy Donley, the play’s producer-director. "But it also captures those feelings of what it is like to receive a transplant, somebody else’s donation of an organ, and then the family who has lost someone who’s become the organ donor."

Inspiration for ‘The Tin Woman’

The backstory:

For Joy and her husband, Michael, the play is a production grounded in their own joy, grief, and peace. Eight years ago, they lost their 16-year-old son, Lewis, to suicide. At the height of their grief upon Lewis’ death, they made the decision to donate Lewis’ tissues.

"Just two weeks ago, we found out that his eyes, his corneas, and his tissue went to 60 people around the United States, 60 people," Joy proudly explained. "That just blows my mind."

One of the recipients of Lewis’ tissue was a boy who later connected with Joy and Michael about the impact of the donation on his life.

"He had an ACL surgery in his knee," Joy recalled from the letter. "He told us about what happened to him, and we found out that after his surgery he ended up winning his high school basketball championship, which Lewis would have loved. He would have loved that."

Organ donation networks

What they're saying:

The organization that coordinates organ donations in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and northwestern Wisconsin is the Minneapolis-based company LifeSource.

It works to raise awareness on the need for organ donations and coordinates with families during moments of a life-ending crisis to connect donors with recipients. There are currently 2,400 people on the organ transplant waiting list in Minnesota.

"I always think donation is really the very best in humanity," said Susan Mau Larson, LifeSource’s chief administrator. "And Joy and her husband took the moment when they were grieving and they were losing their son, Lewis, to think about others. To think about others in need, who will only live if they receive a transplant."

Larson also praises the Donleys for using their love of theater to elevate the message of organ donation.

"Art is a way for all of us to engage and engage more deeply in something and to learn about it. And Joy is bringing that to us," said Larson.