2025 Tour Local Honorees for Lubbock
Heath Dale Bennett – Organ and Tissue Donor
Heath was born May 31, 1982 to “Buddy” Bennett and Sandi Brown Bennett. He graduated from Clovis High School and attended Texas Tech University. He worked for Bennett Land Company as well as Bennett Trucking Company. Heath was an avid lover of the outdoors and enjoyed life to its fullest when he was in the air, at the lake, on the mountains, or hunting with friends. He married Audra Dee King in 2012 and they had two daughters, Bree and Hayden. Their son, Holden Dale, was born six months after his death
Heath had been working under a house that they were moving and remodeling. His neck was cramping after a day under the house and he called a chiropractor after hours. The chiropractor met him at his office and “popped” his neck. He knew immediately that he was hurt very badly. The artery in his neck was snapped and he was only conscious for a few minutes. He was flown to Lubbock Covenant Hospital where he was place on life support for three days. Heath went to his heavenly home on February 10th 2017.
His death has affected so many – his family and so many friends. Heath treasured his time with his girls and family the most. People will remember Heath for his contagious smile, helping hand and a lover of life. He will be forever remembered by the ones who love him as well as those who will never met him.
He had on his driver’s license that he wanted to be a donor and he was able to donate his tissues and organs. His soul will forever be in heaven, but his selfless gift of life, through organ donation, will live on through others and show God’s glory forever.
Jilleighan Boivin – Stem Cell Donor
“Hello. My name is Jilleighan Boivin and I am from Texas, currently working as a Medical ICU nurse. I worked as an oncology nurse for a year before that. I Also have a dog named Morgan who is about to turn 10. He has been with me through thick and thin, so here is a picture of him, too. I graduated from Texas Tech University (Wreck ‘Em Tech!) with two degrees and plan to pursue an MSN eventually.
I signed up with Be The Match to possibly be a donor back in 2021 while I was in college. I never thought I would hear from the program until they called me in January saying I was a match with a patient. I immediately said “yes” when they asked me if I would like to donate stem cells to a patient I matched with. I donated this past April.
The NMDP program is so amazing for what it does and I am very thankful to be apart of such a wonderful experience. I am looking forward to the opportunity to donate as many times as it is needed.”
Samantha Gonzales – Stem Cell Donor
Samantha Gonzales recently gave a second chance of life to a man with a life-threatening disease. She said of her experience, “I registered at my high school in Lamesa. It was one of the first things I did as a “legal adult” – why not?
It was over ten years since she registered when she got the call from the NMDP – a call she never thought would happen. “I was super excited when I got the call. I’m a nurse at University Medical Center and I see how beneficial it is. I was excited to give back.” Samantha also said she would really like to meet her recipient someday.
Jeffrey Sulistia – Blood Donor and Lifegift Advocate
Jeff is a very dedicated blood donor with almost 45 gallons contributed. He is also a long-time team member at Lifegift Organ and Tissue Donation. He will be celebrating his 23rd anniversary at Lifegift this December. Jeff has helped save innumerable lives through his contributions both with Lifegift and as a blood donor.
Ruby Benevedez – Sickle Cell Warrior
“On March 18th, 2016 I sat in the clinic waiting for the pediatrician to come in for Ruby’s seven day old routine check-up. TThree days earlier, I got the call that a four day-old baby girl was waiting for me in the University Medical Center (UMC) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She was perfect in every way! I had nothing but excitement on my face never expecting we would get life altering news.
Ruby’s newborn PKU screen came back positive for Sickle Cell Anemia genotype SS, the most severe form. I sat there clueless and numb as the doctor explained that she had an incurable blood disease that causes organ damage and a life of excruciating pain. She explained that Ruby would need to see a Hematologist for the rest of her life. I could not have imagined the impact that UMC and the South West Cancer Center would have on our lives. I had no clue what the future would hold, I just knew we were in it together – us and UMC.
Ruby had her 1st admission at seven months old and over 22 until she was three. UMC staff, nurses, and doctors would become like family and our second home.
Three years later, we were referred to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth to the Stem Cell Clinic. We were overjoyed at the thought of a CURE for our little girl who had already spent a considerable amount of her life in a hospital bed. After searching the NMDP Registry, we learned that there was no match for Ruby. No cure for this precious child who didn’t ask for this life she was given. Because of her ethnicity alone she only had a 23% of finding an unrelated donor match and being adopted unfortunately lowered her chances even more. We had no choice but to move forward hoping and praying God knew what was best for Ruby’s life.
Today, nine year-old Ruby looks like a perfectly healthy and normal little girl on the outside but on the inside is a disease that’s continuously wreaking havoc on her body every minute of everyday. Her smile does not show her pain, her gentle spirit doesn’t show her enlarged heart, her face doesn’t show the countless nights spent away from her family or the holidays she has spent in the hospital. You’d never know she had to rush through Christmas morning to get to the hospital, leaving in the middle of Thanksgiving Dinner or missing one of her other siblings birthdays or school events. Her laughter doesn’t show the hundreds of IV sticks, blown veins or the port she has had since she was 17 months old just to make sure she gets her life saving antibiotics and fluids.
With over 40 hospital admissions, 18 blood transfusions, and 7 surgical procedures, Ruby is a Sickle Cell Warrior. Her journey living with an incurable disease is far from over. We can only pray one day there will be the cure that she so desperately needs and deserves.
If you were to ask Ruby where her second home is, she would tell you UMC. It is her safe place. She knows she is loved the minute she walks in the door and sees a familiar face. We know we will receive compassionate care with every visit, today and in the future.”
~Ruby’s Mom
Eliseo Rocha – Blood Donor
“I first began donating blood in college, admittedly for the free t-shirt. Before long, I realized that the real value wasn’t in what I received but in the lives I could help. I continued donating throughout college, but it wasn’t until I began teaching that I truly became passionate about encouraging others—especially my students—to donate as well.
One day, our school nurse asked if she could speak to my students about blood donation. After her presentation, I shared my own experiences with donating in college. Several students asked why I continue to donate today. I explained that both of my parents once required multiple pints of blood, and without the generosity of donors, their lives might have been cut short.
When my first group of seniors walked across the stage wearing their “Blood Hero” cords, I knew they had embraced something bigger than themselves: the power of helping others. I may not know exactly how many Whiteface High School seniors have crossed the stage wearing those cords, but I do know that each one has made—and will continue to make—a lasting difference in someone else’s life.
Student Organ Donation Advocates (SODA)
Student Organ Donation Advocates, or SODA, is a nonprofit organization that inspires and supports student-led donation education and registration efforts on high school, college, and graduate school campuses. There are currently over 115 SODA chapters throughout the United States, including five in LifeGift’s donor service area.
- Texas Tech’s SODA chapter was just started in 2025 and has hit the ground running, participating in LifeGift’s Ambassador of Hope meetings and other events, including HopeFest in August, where they helped donor family members create beautiful bracelets that say “HOPE” in Morse code. They also have helped out at volunteer recruitment events and hosted a successful “Donuts for Donors” awareness event on campus.
Alicia Castanon – Marrow Donation Advocate
“I became a nurse after the loss of my 14-year-old son. My son was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, and fortunately, my daughter was a perfect match for him, allowing him to receive a bone marrow transplant. Sadly, we lost him due to lung complications, despite him grafting and responding well to the transplant.
Now, as a healthcare provider privileged to serve the pediatric hematology/oncology community, it is essential for me that patients without a matching relative have the opportunity to find a match through the bone marrow registry. Leukemia is now considered a curable disease; only in a few cases do patients fail to respond to chemotherapy, and I want them to have the chance to undergo a bone marrow transplant if it is indicated. My goal is to inform and enroll individuals in this noble endeavor of saving lives.”