National Donate Life Month is Here - Donate Life Vermont

Donate Life Vermont

10^TH ANNUAL NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH OFFERS HOPE TO THOSE AWAITING LIFE SAVING TRANSPLANTS 

For the tenth consecutive year, April has been declared “National Donate Life” month in order to draw attention to the urgent need for organ and tissue donor registrants in the United States. This year’s Donate Life month campaign is especially significant as it will serve as one of the vehicles to drive Donate Life America’s national goal of registering 20 million new organ, eye and tissue donors in 2012. Adding 20 million registered donors to the existing 100 million Americans that have taken the steps to donate life will undoubtedly give newfound hope to those in need of a transplant.

Just one organ and tissue donor can help save or enhance up to 50 lives. Donated organs can include the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and small intestine. Donated tissues can include skin, corneas, bones, veins, cartilage, heart valves and tendons. These donations do not only save lives; they can give sight to the blind, prevent amputations, and repair the skin of a burn victim.

Today, over 112,000 men, women and children are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. This statistic includes just over 100 Vermonters. Over 28,000 organ transplants were performed in 2011. However, the demand is still much greater than the supply, with an average of 19 Americans dying every day due to the shortage of donor organs.

Vermont residents can help! Register to be an organ and tissue donor by joining the Donate Life Vermont registry available online at www.donatelifevt.org. The most important step in deciding to become a donor is to share this decision with friends and family.

If you would like to learn more about the Donate Life cause and talk to those affected by organ and tissue donation, Donate Life has partnered with the Skinny Pancake in Burlington for a #SocialSaves2 tweetup. For details, please visit http://twtvite.com/socialsaves2.

Check out our partners: http://www.donatelifevt.org/national-donate-life-month-is-here