Amelia was a three-time University of Kentucky graduate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences in 2003, her master’s degree in community and leadership development in 2006, and her doctorate in higher education administration in 2011. While at UK, Amelia was the university ambassador coordinator, a student senator, a vice president of Delta Gamma sorority, and the 2003 homecoming queen. In 2010, Amelia married her best friend and soulmate, Allen O. Wilson. She was the 2011 recipient of UK’s Joseph T. Burch Young Alumni Award and a 2021 recipient of UK’s Distinguished Service Award.
Amelia served as director of agritourism at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
Amelia was diagnosed with liver disease at age 19. She received a lifesaving liver transplant in 2005 while a student at the University of Kentucky. Amelia and her family are eternally grateful to her liver donor, John Cody Conley, who was a 13-year-old boy from West Virginia who loved the outdoors and died while riding an all-terrain vehicle.
Amelia was a field representative for U.S. Congressman James Comer and passed away
on June 25, 2021, following a lengthy battle with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder
(PTLD), which is a cancer faced only by organ transplant recipients.
Amelia resided in Grand Rivers, Kentucky with her husband Allen, both took a very active role in the Grand Rivers Chamber of Commerce, Tourism, and the Community as a whole. Amelia always greeted everyone with a smile and acceptance; her peace, love, and light filled the soul of every person who had the opportunity to meet her and she made a difference in the lives of many. Amelia’s brilliance, compassion, and light live on through her husband who continues to light the community and world around him.
Amelia’s gentle spirit, life struggles, advocacy, and support for the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates inspired the redevelopment of the Fall Grand Rivers LBL run to the “Amelia’s Run” to increase awareness of organ donation, fund-raise for the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, and to honor our friend.
KODA’s mission is to provide organs an
d tissues to those in need and to maintain a profound respect for those that give the gift of life through community outreach and education, hospital partnerships, clinical expertise, and basic research into donation and transplantation advancements.
Core Values: Compassionate, Dedicated, Accountable
Background: Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) is dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. KODA was formed to establish a statewide educational and procurement network. KODA supports and participates in research to advance the management and recovery of organ and tissue donors, ultimately leading to the transplantation and healing of more patients in need. KODA is an independent, non-profit organ and tissue procurement agency.
Oversight: Like all OPOs, KODA is federally designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As an accredited tissue bank, KODA Tissue Operations is regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). KODA is a member of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), a government-chartered nationwide network operating the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under a federal contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Founded: 1987 (Originated as a combination of existing organ and tissue procurement programs at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville)
Service Area: 114 counties in Kentucky, 4 counties in southern Indiana and 2 counties in western West Virginia. (Six northern Kentucky counties are served by LifeCenter in Cincinnati).
