JEFFERSONVILLE -- “Warren it's almost time,” Phyllis Blumenthal told her husband who grabbed the TV remote and turned to CNBC, where friend and neighbor Helen Irving -- President and CEO of LiveOnNY -- rang NASDAQ's Opening Bell on Tuesday morning.

While the trio have only known each other for a few years, they share a coincidental connection.

LiveOnNY is a nonprofit organization committed to helping New York live on through organ and tissue donation and to caring for the families touched by donation. This month they've joined local partners for events in celebration of Donate Life Month -- an annual month in which the power of organ, eye and tissue donation is celebrated across the nation. The month is designed to raise awareness and inspire New Yorkers to register as lifesaving organ donors.

Phyllis, whose family's Jeffersonville home is a short walk away from Irving's, has her own reason for celebrating Donate Life Month. She is a recipient of a kidney.

Phyllis was first diagnosed with a kidney issue in 1986, and had to regularly get it checked.

In 2002, the Blumenthal family became aware that Phyllis was approaching renal failure and they were advised to start reaching out to biological family to test for a match. Warren was insistent that he be the one to donate the kidney, but as her husband and not a biological relative, doctors were skeptical.

It was in 2003, however, that things took a scary turn.

On vacation in the Florida Keys, Phyllis was hospitalized for Gout and Pancreatitis. After a bad reaction to medication, her kidneys failed and she spent the next six months on dialysis.

Both Phyllis' sister and cousin were tested and they did not meet the criteria. As it turned out, the best match for Phyllis -- in more ways than one -- was Warren and not a biological relative.

“That's what he wanted,” Phyllis said.

The two underwent surgery at Westchester Medical Center on January 14, 2004.

The transplant was a success and now, more than 15 years later, Phyllis is doing extremely well. She's very active and enjoys kayaking, tennis, snowshoeing, hiking and spending time with her family, which includes their two kids, five grandsons and their Shih Tzu, Zeus.

Through the challenges associated with her kidney, Phyllis always remained positive. “I'm a very active and energetic person,” she said. “I don't let myself get down. Attitude has a lot to do with regaining your health. [And] positivity is my go to word. It went from one of my lowest periods to my greatest.”

As for the kidney she received from her husband, Phyllis says, “It's the best lifetime gift,” adding that she had the help of her wonderful, awesome family, and friends. “It was nothing short of miraculous.”

Irving started her professional career as a nurse in England -- where she is orginally from. She became motivated to do more with organ donation after an interaction with a heart patient. He had received the call that they'd found a donor, but when Irving checked his vitals something wasn't right. He had a high temperature, became septic and passed away soon after. That event still sticks with her today.

Irving eventually emigrated to the U.S. and now works in NYC, but has a second home in Jeffersonville where she met Warren and Phyllis.

“When you meet genuine people who have a genuine love for life, you want to help people in any way you can,” Irving said. “Warren and Phyllis have a genuine love for each other and others. And meeting them makes me want to work harder. They don't take what they have for granted.”

Now the trio has a message for fellow New Yorkers: “Sign up and register [to be an organ donor].”

To do so, visit www.liveonny.org/

Where does New York stand?

While New York is typically a pioneer when it comes to many issues at the national level, that's not the case when it comes to registered organ donors. In fact, New York has the lowest rate of organ donor registration in the U.S.

According to Irving, nearly 10,000 ailing children and adults are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in New York.

“Although growth has been strong of late, with more than 600,000 people joining the registry in 2018, the low percentage of registered organ donors in New York - only 35 percent compared to 56 percent nationally -- is contributing to an organ shortage that is resulting in lives lost,” Irving said. “This must change.”

The growth Irving is referring to is that nearly 900 transplants took place in 2018 -- a LiveOnNY record. Also, the number of registered organ donors in New York State climbed over 5 million.

The number of registered organ donors in New York has doubled since 2012, thanks to several LiveOnNY supported initiatives such as ...

• The launch a new online registry

• A law allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to register when they get their driver's licenses

• When people are signing up for health insurance through New York State.

But more work needs to be done.

As of 2018, 35 percent of Sullivan County residents are signed up on the DonateLife Registry, compared to 34 percent in Orange, 40 percent in Delaware and 41 percent in Ulster counties.

In 2017, 15 lives were saved through the generosity of families in Sullivan County agreeing to give the gift of life so others may live.

Donate Life Month concludes with a “Moment of Gratitude” at 3 p.m. on April 30. LiveOnNY asks all New Yorkers to pause and pay tribute to the thousands of organ donors. Hospitals, transplant centers, organ donation advocates, and others across the area will join in to recognize these lifesaving heroes. LiveOnNY will live stream its moment of gratitude gathering via Facebook Live.