From personal tragedy to lifesaving mission: Katie Payne's journey to Lifebanc

When Katie Payne arrived in Cleveland in the middle of December last year as the new CEO of Lifebanc, where she oversees hospital education, donor family support, and organ procurement coordination, she knew her job would be challenging.

Katie Payne, CEO of LifebancShe was prepared to work with healthcare providers to identify potential organ donors, support families through difficult decisions, and manage the complex logistics of matching and transporting organs to recipients.

Payne also knew the Cleveland winters would be challenging. Coming from Atlanta, she wasn't prepared for the extended cold seasons and the infamous "second winter" that Clevelanders know all too well.

“It was a little bit of a shock,” she recalls. “I knew Cleveland's cold. I just wasn't expecting it to be cold for so long—and then be warm, and then cold again.”

Payne’s introduction to Cleveland winter was made even more memorable when she slipped on the ice and got a concussion. “I've experienced all of winter in Cleveland, so I've been very much enjoying the warm weather,” she says, adding that she and her two middle school children quickly joined other hard-core Clevelanders in wearing flip flops and shorts during Cleveland winter’s lingering last days.

Unpredictable winters aside, Payne's transition to Cleveland and her role at Lifebanc is deeply rooted in her own personal story. In 2004, at age 21 and an undergraduate journalism student at Georgia State University, Payne’s middle brother Billy died in a car accident at age 25. Payne's oldest brother had passed away at age two, making Billy the second child her parents had lost.

Katie Payne's brother, Billy, died in a car accident at age 25.Billy became a tissue and cornea donor, though the family chose minimal interaction with the organ procurement organization (OPO) because of their overwhelming grief and loss.

“This was their second child they had lost, and emotionally, they just kind of shut down, understandably,” recalls Payne. “They couldn't really connect with the organ procurement organization. It was like they knew that they wanted my brother to be a donor, but they couldn't handle having conversations with anybody about it. They didn't want the OPO to send them any information.”

It wasn't until years later, while working as a manager of a kidney transplant program in Atlanta, that Payne learned from her mother that her brother's donation was handled by the very OPO where she would eventually work.

Open doors

While her parents coped with the loss of Billy in their own way, Payne, now 42, found herself called to organ donation. She describes her grief as a ball inside a box with a button.

“Whenever the button is pushed [by the ball], that's when you feel really emotional and sad,” she says. “As time goes on, the ball starts to shrink. Every once in a while, the ball still hits that button, and I'll get upset, but, you know, with time, it just doesn't happen as often anymore.”

Still grieving the loss of her brother, Payne found herself turning away from journalism in her senior year and pursuing a nursing career.

“I had no plans to go into nursing—no plans do anything medical and life,” she recalls. “Doors just kept opening and I've been a firm believer of ‘I'll just walk through them and see what happens.’”

That open door sent Payne to nursing school and earned her master’s degree in nursing through the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She then joined the University of Cincinnati, working its post liver transplant program.

“They needed some help, and I was interested in learning more,” Payne recalls. “So then I became a post-liver transplant coordinator, helping recipients after they were transplanted. And the doors just kept opening.

“Then it was kidney [transplants], and then it was all of the abdominal organs,” Payne continues. “Then I went to the OPO and somehow that led me to Cleveland. It was definitely not a big plan.”

A Lifebanc donor and organ recipientPayne says the loss of her brother has made her more compassionate and able to help others. Under Payne's leadership, Lifebanc places special emphasis on supporting donor families through comprehensive bereavement services, including therapy, counseling, and support groups, including children who've lost parents or siblings. Many donor families remain connected to Lifebanc for decades, becoming volunteers and advocates.

“Losing my sibling, who was also my roommate in college, as dramatic as maybe it sounds, being able to survive all of that, I think makes me feel that I can help other people through their processes and understand where they're at.”

In addition to her own personal stories, Payne has witnessed countless powerful stories of hope emerging from loss throughout her career. She recalls a particularly moving case from Georgia, where a donor's family developed a beautiful relationship with the recipient of their daughter's lungs. The story even earned recognition on ESPN GameDay and won a Disney Spirit Award.

Settling in

Payne is used to moving around a lot, so she says she feels right at home after living in Northeast Ohio for eight months. It’s just another opportunity, she says.

“When those doors open, I don't mind moving,” she says. “We moved a lot when I was young and so for me it's kind of [normal]. We have a joke in our family: Once you start hanging pictures, it's time to move. My house in Cleveland has nothing hanging on the walls yet, but we'll get there.”

Payne says she and her children have committed to living in Pepper Pike through their high school graduation. Her son, a bassoon player, found a welcoming home at Orange schools, where the band director's enthusiasm for adding a bassoon to the program helped seal their decision to move to the area.

“I'm so used to kind of starting over and meeting new people—it doesn't scare me to kind of do something new and see how it goes,” she says. “I've found wonderful people, friendships, and co-workers in every place that I've moved.”

Additionally, the transition to Cleveland has been eased by what Payne calls the "Midwestern value thing"—a genuine willingness to help. She shares a story about multiple people being genuinely upset that she bought a drill instead of borrowing theirs—illustrating the authentic community spirit she's encountered.

Meanwhile, Payne says she will continue to share positive stories around organ donation.

“There's an opportunity for everyone to be a donor—no matter your age or health issues, we have people who've received organs who then become donors,” she says. “My message is to make sure that your loved ones know what your wishes are. You can register to be a donor, so they don't have to worry about knowing what you want.”