Family of 20-year-old organ donor, Aliye Ringe makes lasting impact on driver education on donating organs

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - At the age of 16, Aliye Ringe made a decision that would later impact the lives of five strangers after she tragically died in a car accident in December of 2021.

Ringe chose to become an organ donor when she got her first driver’s license, but her family said she was originally against it.

“She put no first and her mother took her to the side and said, ‘let’s have a discussion about this,” Leah Veck said. “Allie immediately changed her mind and immediately said she wanted to save lives.”

On Monday, May 23 the Louisiana House of Representatives’ Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee unanimously passed House Resolution 130, which urges the Office of Motor Vehicles to include all driver education programs to provide information on organ, eye, and tissue donation.

The “Aliye Ringe Resolution”, which was authored by Rep. Valerie Hodges, was inspired by the Ringe family.

Ringe’s grandmother Leah Veck said she wants to make sure all future drivers are informed about the benefits of becoming a donor.

“It just makes you proud as a sister because I know that’s what she would’ve wanted me to do the same if roles were reversed,” Bralyn Davis, Ringe’s sister said.

The family is also aiming to also make it a requirement in the classroom.

More than 100,000 people across the country are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant with almost 2,000 of them here in Louisiana. That’s enough people to fill up Tiger Stadium.

“We want a law where it’s mandated that in health classes in high school there’s a half unit in high school that students have to take. We want it mandated that they are educated about organ donation,” Veck said.

The resolution will get signed into a bill and go before the House and Senate for a final vote.

For more information on becoming a donor, visit LOPA.org.

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