April is National Donate Life Month. Every year, Donate Life America leads the celebration of National Donate Life Month (NDLM) to focus national attention on organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation — to share the importance of registering your decision to be a donor, honor deceased and living donors, and celebrate the lifesaving and healing gift of transplantation.
“This April, we will be working to increase the number of registered organ and tissue donations to save and heal lives. However, it’s also important to remember Donate Life Month serves to honor those who have made the selfless decision to give to others through organ and tissue donation,” said Diane Brockmeier, President and CEO of Mid-America Transplant. “We are inspired by the courage shown by donors and donor families to help others.”
To help illustrate the message of donation, Donate Life America (DLA) creates unique artwork for each National Donate Life Month. The 2019 National Donate Life Month (NDLM) art was inspired by bicycles and the phrase, “Life is a beautiful ride.” Bicycles serve as a symbol of progress, renewal and the moving circle of life. We each carry the potential to help make life a beautiful ride for ourselves, and then for others by registering as a donor, considering living donation, being a caregiver and championing the Donate Life cause.
Additionally, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green Donate Life colors, hold events, and partner with local organizations to spread awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation for National Donate Life Blue & Green Day on Friday, April 12. More information and public resources for both NDLM and Blue & Green Day are available at DonateLife.net/ndlm/.
In 2018, Mid-America Transplant facilitated the recovery of hundreds of thousands of life-enhancing and lifesaving gifts of cornea, skin, bone, vein, and heart valves from a historic number of 1,986 tissue donors. Additionally, 629 lifesaving organs were recovered from 196 organ donors. The generosity of the region contributed to a record-breaking year nationwide. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reported 36,527 organ transplants were performed in 2018 from both deceased and living donors.
Approximately 1,200 people in the region are waiting for a lifesaving transplant today. Nationally, 114,000 people are waiting for a second chance through the gift of organ and tissue donation. During April, Mid-America Transplant and Donate Life America celebrate that 58 percent of U.S. adults have registered their decision to make LIFE possible as organ, eye and tissue donors at the time of their death while bringing attention to the transplant waiting list. On average, 22 people die each day because the organ they need is not donated in time — almost one person dying every hour. Thousands more people are waiting for lifesaving and healing eye and tissue transplants.
Learn more about Mid-America Transplant at www.midamericatransplant.org. You can provide hope to those waiting and register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at www.midamericatransplant.org/register or in the Medical ID tab of your iPhone Health app.
*Data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) as of January 16, 2019
About Mid-America Transplant
For 45 years, Mid-America Transplant has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ donors, donor families, and recipients. Through innovation and process improvements, the organization has transformed the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S., and is the first organ and tissue procurement organization to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence. For more information, visit www.midamericatransplant.org.
About Donate Life America
Donate Life America (DLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization leading its national partners and Donate Life State Teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes and tissue available to save and heal lives. DLA manages and promotes Donate Life℠, the national brand for the cause of donation; motivates the public to register as organ, eye and tissue donors; provides education about living donation; manages the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org; and develops and executes effective multi-media campaigns to promote donation.