National Donate Life Month encourages Americans to register as an organ donor
Yvette is a volunteer and a bus driver, Scott is a video production professional, Sandra is a minister and professor, Kacey is a Columbine High School shooting survivor and busy mom. These individuals seemingly have little in common but each of their lives has been changed by organ and tissue donation. Yvette is a liver recipient, Sandra’s son was an organ donor, Scott is currently awaiting a life-saving transplant, Kacey is a tissue recipient. Each of these North Carolinians intimately knows the impact of donation and represents a different side of the transplantation story. These are the lives National Donate Life Month was established to support.
Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month raises awareness about donation, encourages Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors, and honors those that have saved lives through the gift of donation. As of Friday, April 1st, 2022, there are 3,339 North Carolinians waiting for life-saving organ transplants. That’s 3,339 men, women, and children who will not survive unless someone gives the gift of life.
As the President and CEO of HonorBridge, North Carolina’s largest organ donation and tissue recovery organization, I am intimately aware of how rare organ donation is. While many can be tissue donors at their time of death, less than 1% of total hospital deaths result in organ donation. This why our team works so incredibly hard to save lives and encourage everyone to say ‘yes’ to donation either at the DMV or visiting www.RegisterMe.org/NC. Each person can become a hero simply by registering as a donor.
With more than 100,000 people in the United States waiting for life-saving transplants, it’s more important than ever to bring attention to the vital need for people to register as donors. In 2021 in the United States, a record 41,000 organ transplants from 20,300 donors brought new life to patients, their families, and communities. However, an average of 17 people die each day waiting for that life-saving transplant. One donor can save up to eight lives and heal more than 75 lives through organ and tissue donation.
2021 was a remarkable year filled by amazing milestones accomplished despite the hurdles the pandemic caused. Our work to save and heal lives never wavered as we adjusted our approach to grieving families and our internal processes to address hospital requirements and COVID-19.
2022 presents even more opportunities for growth, to save and heal more lives than ever, and to continue honoring the heroic gifts of our donors and their families. But we must never forget about those who didn’t get the transplant because not enough people said “yes” to donation. We must strive to honor those who we have lost due to the critical organ shortage by encouraging those who have not yet registered to do so.
This National Donate Life Month, I hope that we can all come together to be that beacon of hope to those waiting by saying “yes” to donation at your local DMV or at www.RegisterMe.org/NC. Here in North Carolina, only just over 50% of adults are registered donors. Yet nationally, 60% of all licensed adults are registered. We must do better. Be a hero. Save and heal lives. It’s the right thing to do and more than 3,000 of our fellow North Carolinians are counting on us.
Danielle Niedfeldt, RN, JD
President & CEO
Greenville, NC
919‑489‑8404
