A Legacy of Compassion: How One Family’s Fight for Organ Donation Continues After Tragedy

Vikki Tulcus devoted her life to helping others as an advocate for organ donation, touching countless lives. 

As fate would have it, Tulcus became someone in desperate need of a donor. 

Her story is one of compassion, dedication and tragedy. 

Diagnosed with Wegener’s Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease, Tulcus faced her own need for an organ transplant while continuing her work as an advocate.

Though she died in 2013, her legacy lives on through her husband and daughter’s dedication to the cause.

“We first met while attending college at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois,” said Dan Lietz, of Crestwood. “Twenty years later, we reconnected through social media. I just wanted to wish her well after hearing about her health. We started talking more, became friends, and soon, that 

In 2004, Tulcus started working as a public education coordinator for Gift of Hope, an Illinois-based organ procurement organization. By 2007, she had moved to the Illinois Secretary of State’s organ donor program, promoting the importance of organ donation across the state.

But in 2010, her life took a dramatic turn when she was diagnosed with Wegener’s Syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease that severely affected her kidneys.

“For two years, Tulcus was on dialysis while waiting on the transplant list,” Lietz said. “She still went to work raising awareness for organ donation, knowing she desperately needed a transplant herself. I even tried to be a living donor, but we weren’t a blood match.”

Despite her strength, Tulcus’s health worsened toward the end of 2012. In January 2013, she passed away. While the disease ravaged her organs, her corneas were still viable and were donated to give sight to two people—one in Chicago and a woman in New Jersey.

After Tulcusi’s passing, Lietz was offered his wife’s position at Gift of Hope. He accepted and threw himself into the work that had meant so much to his late wife.

“I sat at her desk, used her phone; there was even a calendar still hanging on the wall from her last day at work,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly what to do, but I knew I wanted to continue her mission. I started advocating for organ donor registration in her honor.”

Since then, Lietz’s commitment has only grown. He became co-chairman for Donate Life Illinois in 2020 and was promoted to program manager in 2024.

Following in his footsteps is his daughter, Morgan, a senior at Shepard High School. 

Morgan has been involved in organ donor events with her father since she was 6 years old. Now, as part of her service requirements for Shepard’s National Honor Society, she continues to speak on the importance of organ and tissue donation.

Recently, Morgan addressed a crowd at the launch of the Lifesaving Education and Awareness on Donation (LEAD) campaign, developed by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

“My stepmother was the strongest person I knew,” Morgan, 17, said. “She did everything with a smile on her face, and she dedicated her life to saving others. No one should have to go through what my family went through.”

Last month, Morgan was recognized for her efforts in promoting organ donation at the Community High School District 218 school board meeting.

“It meant so much to me,” she said. “I hope my classmates realize the difference they can make by just saying ‘yes’ to organ donation. I’m going to keep working with my dad because this issue isn’t going away. We have to do something about it.”

Her father said he couldn’t be more proud. 

“Morgan has a heart of gold,” Lietz said. “She understands that organ donation can save lives when someone can no longer live. For her, it’s easy to talk about it because she believes in it wholeheartedly. She knows her stepmother passed away due to a lack of donors, and she wants to change that.”