Henry’s Louisiana Grill Celebrates National Donate Life Month

April is National Donate Life Month and it’s a month of special importance for Chef Henry Chandler of Henry’s Louisiana Grill. Throughout the month of April, Chandler will be raising awareness for organ donation with “Chef Henry’s Challenge to Save a Life.” “Chef Henry’s Challenge” encourages restaurant guests to pledge to register with the Donate Life Georgia registry.

This cause is particularly important to Chandler because he was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2007. He began treatments, which he soon learned were ineffective. A transplant was his only option for survival. Though no donor was immediately available, at the 11th hour, prayers were answered and the Cajun chef underwent a successful transplant surgery at Piedmont Hospital in 2008. 

“The amount of prayers and support that my family and I received when I was sick was incredible,” Chandler said. “I want to use my good health and prominence in the community to draw attention to the ongoing need for organ donors and pay my blessings forward.” 

The Donate Life Georgia registry was created in 2008 to allow Georgians an easy and user-friendly means of joining the state’s registry. Their website, www.donatelifegeorgia.org, provides the opportunity to join Georgia’s organ, tissue, and eye donor registry, a confidential database of donor designations to be carried out upon death. The database is maintained at the direction of LifeLink of Georgia, a non-profit organ and tissue recovery organization and member of Donate Life Georgia. If you already have “organ donor” on your driver license, you still are encouraged to join the new registry to ensure your previous designation is documented. 

Prior to the Registry, the responsibility for giving authorization for donation fell solely on the donor's family. Unfortunately, the family members were not always aware of their loved one's wishes regarding donation. The Registry eliminates any doubt that a family member may have about your intention to DONATE LIFE. In the event of your death, your family will be provided a copy of your Registry sign-up at the hospital so that your life-saving wishes can be fulfilled.

“My goal is for all of my guests to pledge that they will sign the Georgia Donate Life registry and give life to another,” Chandler said. “There are 117,353 people right now waiting for an organ donor to save their life. I am very blessed that my donor agreed to sign the registry. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today. I will always support this important cause and encourage everyone to do the same.”

Henry’s Gives Back Throughout the Year

Each Spring throughout crawfish season, Henry's hosts crawfish boil nights every Wednesday, which feature crawfish races (the winner of which receives all the crawfish they can eat for 30 minutes!). Henry's donates all proceeds from its crawfish races to the Georgia Transplant Foundation. Last year, the races alone raised $1,500. 

The restaurant also holds its annual Cajun Celebration in September to celebrate the anniversary of Henry's liver transplant, affectionately referred to as "Liverversary." This event is a fundraiser that includes a sampling of Chef Henry's delicious specialties, live auction, raffle, music, and dancing. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the Cajun Celebration benefit the Georgia Transplant Foundation, raising over $15,000 in 2012.

About Henry’s Louisiana Grill

Henry’s Louisiana Grill, which debuted in 2000, is an award-winning community-gathering place with local and national acclaim. The menu is designed by award-winning Chef Henry Chandler, sparked by the southern-inspired food he loved and prepared with his Nanny Castell as a child. With an emphasis on world-class hospitality and dishes using the finest ingredients, Henry’s southern comfort cooking has people driving cross-country just for a taste.

Henry’s Louisiana Grill is located in Acworth, Georgia. For more information, please visit www.chefhenrys.com or find us on Facebook.

Editor's note: This was written by Katherine H. Michalak.