Group Urges NYers To Join Organ Donor List

By: NY1 News

Advocates gathered in Downtown Manhattan Wednesday to encourage others to become organ donors.

Among those who participated was actor Mandy Patinkin, who is the recipient of two donated corneas.

According to the group Donate Life, only 13 percent of eligible New York residents signed up on the state's donor registry, and more than 500 New Yorkers die each year while awaiting organ transplants.

"The time to think about it is at Thanksgiving when you're healthy. At a birthday when you're healthy. At Christmas, on Hanukkah, any time of year. When you want to give a gift to someone, think of giving a gift for after you go. We're all going to go at some point," Patinkin said.

"It's something that's not on the mind. It's something that we don't want to talk about. It's something that we should be talking about, learning and making choices," said Doris Nowillo-Suda, whose father was an organ donor.

To find out more about organ donation, visit DonateLifeNY.org.