We’ve been busy celebrating National Donate Life Month in April locally, regionally, and across the United States. Celebrations on Friday, April 11 (National Blue and Green Day) were held in several communities across our state. I attended a celebration at Duke Hospital which also included a Linking Hands Ceremony. Forming a circle, linking hands and celebrating those who have received transplants, honoring donors who have made the decision to give the gift of life, and encouraging others as they wait for a life-saving transplant was very inspirational. I had the opportunity to visit with several transplant recipients as they shared their journey waiting for a transplant, receiving their transplant, and now, enjoying life and creating memories with their grandchildren!
Organ, eye and tissue transplants offer patients a new chance at healthy, productive, and normal lives and return them to their families, friends and communities. This was evident in the recipients I spoke with on Friday! More than 120,000 men, women and children currently await lifesaving organ transplants and hundreds of thousands more are in need of cornea and tissue transplants. If you needed a transplant, would you have one?
Learn how you can help give the gift of hope to someone who might need it someday. Registering to be a donor sends a powerful message of hope to those waiting. Registering as a donor is also a gift to your family, giving them certainty of your decision to help others in need.