More Montana families are giving the gift of life. The nonprofit LifeCenter Northwest coordinated the transplant of 211 organs from Montana donors to patients across the country in 2025.
It's something that Nichole Bodalski knows all too well.
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“We did talk pretty early on if the other one passes. what would we want?” she said.
Nichole and her husband, Paul Bodalski, had decided to be organ donors if they died. Sadly, Paul Bodalski died at the age of 30 following a severe asthma attack in 2024.
“He didn’t get to pick when he passed, but at least he got to pick he was an organ donor,” she said.
Nichole says it also helped that the people from LifeCenter Northwest became involved.
“There was a lady that came in and gave us a bunch of handprints and a quilt for him and a bunch of small gifts that we didn’t quite know how important they would be later on," she said.
Karli Bies with Life Center says organ donations can only happen when several circumstances come together.
“Organ donation starts with a very tragic event. But we hope to bring hope and healing through that event happening,” Bies said. “It’s not something that happens that often – it's a pretty rare opportunity for that to happen.”
In 2025, Montana donors saved the lives of 186 patients awaiting organ transplants.
“I do think, as Montanans, we help our neighbors. We are one big community, and I do think that organ donations tie into that really closely of giving that final gift of hope to somebody else who is waiting," Bies said.
That’s something Nichole knows her husband would have wanted.
“He was a really kindhearted person. He’d give you the shirt off his back. It was part of his character to give you as much as he could. So, even in death, he was able to give as much as he could. Which is really cool,” she said.
Both Bies and Nichole Bodalski hope that knowing Paul’s story will help others make the decision to become an organ donor and to let their loved ones know.
“The first step is saying yes. The next step is telling your famliy that is the decision you’ve made,” Bies said.
“My hope is people will have those hard conversations and know what your loved ones want. Because everybody has a different view and organ donation is a tough subject, but when it's needed it can help so many people," Bodalski added.
Visit https://donatelifemt.org/ to learn more about organ donation.
