Centenarian WWII Veteran Dale Steele Becomes Oldest Known US Organ Donor
Dale Steele, a 100-year-old former second world war soldier who died in February, is now believed to be the oldest known organ donor in United States history. His remarkable story underscores that a donor's health is far more critical than their age, according to Live On Nebraska, the organ-procurement organisation in his home state.
A Lifetime of Service and Sacrifice
After graduating high school and being drafted into the military, Steele served in France, Germany, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia towards the end of the second world war. His duties included seeking out remnants of the Nazi army and assisting survivors of German concentration camps in returning home.
He was later promoted to staff sergeant and assigned to guard imprisoned defendants at the Nuremberg trials, including the convicted war criminal Hermann Göring, the Nazis' second-in-command. Following the war, Steele returned to Bassett, Nebraska, where he married his wife, Doris. The couple enjoyed a 72-year marriage, raising four children and four grandchildren.
To support his family, Steele worked raising cattle on their ranch, managed a farming cooperative, and later sold equipment for irrigation and grain handling. His son, Roger Steele, attributed his father's longevity and robust health to a lifetime of physical labour and a diet rich in vegetables from his own garden.
The Unprecedented Donation
In February, Dale Steele sustained a head injury that led to him being placed on life support. At that point, Live On Nebraska contacted his son with an unexpected request: they wished for his father to donate his liver. Roger Steele expressed initial shock, remarking, "He's over 100 years old."
However, Dr Lee Morrow, Live On Nebraska's chief medical officer, explained to local broadcaster KMTV that a healthy liver, regardless of the donor's age, is essentially only about three years old due to its unique ability to regenerate cells throughout a lifetime. "Your liver is about three years old; my liver is about three years old; and that 100-year-old ... his liver [is] about three years old," Morrow stated.
The application of warm blood perfusion on Steele's liver further qualified him as a viable donor. This technique, historically used for kidneys, has recently been extended to livers and other organs, significantly expanding the pool of potential donors.
A Legacy of Generosity
Nebraska Medicine – Nebraska Medical Center successfully recovered Dale Steele's liver, which was transplanted a day later, providing "new life to a grateful recipient," according to Live On Nebraska. Kyle Herber, the organisation's president and CEO, emphasised in a statement that Steele's act is a powerful reminder that generosity has no age limit.
Scott Steele, Dale's grandson, reflected on his grandfather's character, noting, "Dale was always very helpful and considerate of everyone around him – friends and strangers alike. We believe he would do just about anything he could for someone in need." This donation stands as a fitting legacy for a man whose life was defined by service, from the battlefields of Europe to his final act of giving.
