Celebrating National Donate Life Month

Many people don’t realize this, but the month of April has been deemed National Donate Life Month by Donate Life America. This month of awareness began in 2003 and has since been designed to help encourage individuals throughout the United States to register as organ donors.

The month features local, regional, and national activities, as well as recognition for those who have saved lives by becoming organ donors and giving others the gift of life.

For 2017, the artwork chosen was the pinwheel, which is symbolic of an instrument turning obstacles into opportunities. Donors benefit from turning a difficult time for some family members into a bit of comfort. Recipients get a second chance at life after suffering a serious illness or injury. This shows the revolving opportunity of organ donation.

How Organ Donation Helps

When someone sustains a serious injury or develops a life-threatening condition, they are often faced with numerous challenges. This can mean the threat of failing organs, requiring the patient to receive an organ from a donor.

Unfortunately, despite 95% of Americans supporting organ donation, just 48% of them are actually registered donors. While the waiting list grows, the number of donors stays much lower than needed to accommodate the number of patients waiting for transplants. The result? More than 10,000 individuals each year pass away who are suitable donors, but they are not registered.

Each person can save up to 8 lives with the viable organs that are able to be donated. The lifesaving organs include the heart, 2 lungs, the liver, pancreas, 2 kidneys, and the intestines. This means one donor can help to decrease the 22 people who die each day while waiting on the donor list.

Becoming a donor is a short process and despite the many myths of organ donation, can be a huge benefit for those in need. You can take a few moments now and potentially save lives in the future.

Sign the pledge to become a donor today.