Gov. Kicks Off 'Donate Life Month', Nebraska
Cheyenne County Among Top 15 For Donor Registry

Source: Sidney Sun-Telegraph

LINCOLN – With more than 100,000 men, women and children currently in need of life-saving organ transplants, Gov. Dave Heineman on Wednesday launched Nebraska’s observance of April as “Donate Life Month,” part of the national observance to increase awareness for life-saving organ, eye and tissue donations.

“Donate Life Month brings attention to the more than 450 Nebraskans who are waiting for a potentially life-saving transplant,” Heineman said. “I thank those families who have so selflessly given others a chance at life, and I want to thank the many Nebraskans who have indicated their willingness to be organ donors.”

Heineman was joined Wednesday by Dr. Joann Schaefer, chief medical officer and director of the Division of Public Health, who in 2008 received a liver transplant from a living donor.

“I will be eternally grateful for the gift of life from my donor,” Schaefer said. “It is an amazing feeling to suddenly feel healthy and have my life back. I want those waiting to feel the same thing that I have been so lucky to experience.”

At the end of 2010, 656,875 Nebraskans were designated donors on the Nebraska Donor Registry, which included more than 23,000 new registrations. Approximately half of the licensed drivers in the state are designated as organ donors – about the same percentage of Cheyenne County drivers who have elected to be organ donors.

Cheyenne County is one of 15 Nebraska counties to be recognized for its ratio of DMV applicants joining the state donor registry. That number is up from 10 counties last year. Other counties reaching the 50 percent or higher mark include Lancaster, Perkins, Garden, Harlan, Hamilton, Keith, Gosper, Dawes, Buffalo, Kearney, Washington, Cass, Sarpy and Arthur – the first county to achieve a rate of 61.1 percent.

DMV records indicated that 69 Nebraska counties have a donor designation rate between 40 and 49.9 percent. Nationwide, there are 94.7 million designated donors, or 40 percent of the U.S. population over age 18, according to Donate Life America.

Beverly Neth, director of the Nebraska DMV, also joined the governor on Wednesday. She has twice received living kidney donations from relatives.

“I take pride in knowing that DMV personnel, particularly those in driver licensing, make a difference; however, our involvement pales in comparison to the decision of hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans who have signified that they want to be organ and tissue donors,” Neth said.

Currently in Nebraska, 458 individuals are on a waiting list for organ and tissue donations. In 2010, 303 Nebraskans received life-saving organ transplants.

“Each person who signs up as a donor can potentially save eight lives through organ donation, restore sight to two people through cornea donation, and improve mobility and health of up to 50 others through tissue donation,” said Vickie Ahlers, chairman of the board of directors for Donate Life Nebraska. “These are real lives that are being dramatically impacted by Nebraskans making the decision to sign up on the Nebraska Donor Registry.”

For more information about organ donation, or to register as a donor, visit http://www.DonateLifeNebraska.com, or choose the option when applying for or renewing your Nebraska driver’s license.