Former Vikings player saves 4 lives with help from M Health Fairview Donor Care Unit
Former Vikings cornerback Ronyell Whitaker was the kind of guy who wanted to help everybody, his partner Laurie Charboneau said. Even after his death, Whitaker continued helping: He saved four lives by donating his organs.
“Ronyell loved coaching high school kids,” Charboneau said. “He would introduce himself to the parents and say, ‘I’m not just their coach for football. I’m their mentor, so if the kids ever have something going on, I’m here.’ He always wanted to help in any way, and I’m sure he felt the same way when he checked the box to be an organ donor.”
Whitaker, a Virginia native who moved to Minnesota to play with the Vikings in 2006 and returned after his professional football career was over, had a big personality, Charboneau said.
“He made people feel so special,” she said. “Everywhere he went, he could easily talk to people. He was a giddy, happy guy.”
Whitaker’s life was cut short. He died in February at age 46 after a brain aneurysm. Knowing that Whitaker wanted to be an organ donor, Charboneau and his family followed through on those wishes. Over the next few days, Whitaker remained on life support in the M Health Fairview Donor Care Unit as our specialized team helped turn his gift of organ donation into lifesaving opportunities for others.
Dedicated unit leads to more lives saved
In April 2025, M Health Fairview, in partnership with LifeSource, opened the M Health Fairview Donor Care Unit. As the first of its kind in Minnesota, the freestanding unit is designed to increase the number of lives saved through organ donation, enabling transplant teams to use the most advanced organ recovery techniques to ensure more organs successfully reach those in need.
When a deceased organ donor is identified, LifeSource coordinates the donor’s transfer from non-transplant hospitals in the Twin Cities metro area and St. Cloud to our Donor Care Unit, helping to free up critical care beds in hospitals around the region.
Our dedicated nursing staff cares for the donor while LifeSource evaluates organs suitable for transplant and facilitates the matching process with transplant candidates around the region. Once a match is found, transplant teams recover the organs to provide life-saving gifts.
“When a donor gives the gift of life, we have an obligation to ensure that gift reaches as many people as possible,” said Andrew Adams, MD, PhD, executive medical director of solid organ transplant with M Health Fairview and professor and chief of the Division of Transplantation at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “This unit enables us to do that—expanding access to transplant and improving outcomes for patients across our region.”
One year in, the unit is already showing measurable impact:
- 142 lives saved through organ donation
- 4.1 organs recovered per donor (vs. 3.2 nationally)
- 65% lung utilization (vs. ~20% nationally)
Housed on the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center campus, the Donor Care Unit builds on a legacy of excellence. The center is home to one of the oldest and largest transplant programs in the world, with more than 18,000 organ and stem cell transplants performed over nearly 60 years.
A quiet space away from the hospital
The Donor Care Unit gives loved ones an intimate place to spend their final moments together. Traditionally, donors would wait in the intensive care unit of a hospital. The specialized unit gives donors and families a comfortable, respectful space.
“It was so settling to know that I could see him every day, which I did because I didn’t want him to be alone,” Charboneau said. “Even though he was essentially not here, he was still warm. I could still feel his heartbeat.”
This is exactly why our donor care unit exists.
“Our role is to honor the donor and their family,” said Erin Schaden, RN, nurse manager. “We do that by trying to maximize the gift and supporting the family through one of their hardest moments. We want them to feel supported, respected, and never alone as they spend time with their loved one and navigate the donation process.”
Charboneau is keeping Whitaker’s legacy alive and spreading the word about organ donation. While sitting with Whitaker and talking with the Donor Care Unit staff, she learned how many people one donor can help. She’s already inspired a friend to register to become an organ donor.
“You don’t know what an impact you could have on so many lives,” Charboneau said.
Whitaker donated four organs, his corneas, and his heart for research.
“He would be proud,” Charboneau said. “He’d be so glad that he could help.”
Consider becoming an organ donor
Learn more about organ donation or register to be an organ donor to help people the way Whitaker did. According to LifeSource:
- 13 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant.
- 1 donor can save up to 8 lives through organ donation
- 1 donor can heal more than 75 lives through eye and tissue donation
- 2,700 people in our community are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant right now.
