TAO is an association of individuals that have undergone transplant surgery. TAO members provide support for other transplant recipients, candidates and their families. By sharing their personal experiences, these former patients complement the counseling provided by physicians, social workers and other health care professionals by offering special understanding that comes only from experiencing a transplant firsthand. In addition to offering support, TAO members also participate in special events throughout the year to promote organ donor awareness. TAO of Greater Rochester is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of life of transplant candidates, recipients and their families.

Thousands of organ and tissue transplant recipients are alive and well today after being told they only had months to live. To the average person, detached from personal contact with an organ recipient, transplant surgery holds the mystic quality of a miracle cure. It is, undeniably, a miraculous advance in medicine. For those who have endured the seemingly endless wait for a donor organ and finally received their transplant, it is indeed a chance at new life after years of illness.

In many cases, however this new life brings with it a new set of challenges. Transplantation recipients face lives that can be difficult psychologically, socially and financially. They must take medication daily, regulate diet and weight carefully as well as remain constantly alert for possible infection. In addition to these physical concerns, they must deal with the high costs associated with organ transplants. People who have had a transplant share a special bond of understanding and support as a result of their mutual experiences.