April is National Donate Life Month
4/5/2024
Celebrating the generosity of donors and the lives they save
Each April, Donate Life America (DLA) leads National Donate Life Month (NDLM), an observance to focus national attention on the need and importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. National Donate Life Month is about the importance of registering your decision to be a donor and honoring deceased and living donors — recognizing that the generosity of donors makes saving lives through transplantation possible.
Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center is a proud collaborator with Mid-America Transplant, part of the DLA network. In the past two years, PBRMC has touched the lives of 70 patients with the gift of life as organ, eye, or tissue donor. In 2023 alone, of the 43 people who were referred for donation, there were five lifesaving organ transplants and an additional three thousand people’s lives were enhanced or saved with tissue and eye donation.
“As we observe Donate Life Month, we are reminded of the profound impact an organ donor can have on the lives of others,” said Clyde Wood, CEO. “Each donor embodies the ultimate act of kindness and generosity, leaving a legacy that transcends time. Let us honor their altruism by continuing to raise awareness and advocate for organ donation, ensuring that the gift of life reaches those in need.”
In Missouri, there are currently 2,000+ people awaiting a transplant. And more than 100,000 people across the country are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Thousands more people are waiting for lifesaving and healing cornea and tissue transplants. Because only 3 in 1000 meet the criteria for an organ donation to take place, it is vitally important for everyone to register their lifesaving decision to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor. Learning more about and considering living donation is a way you can help those waiting for a second chance at life.
To help participate in NDLM, April 12 is National Donate Life Blue & Green Day and PBRMC invites everyone to show their blue & green colors in support of the Donate Life message and mission. Join PBRMC for their Donate Life Month celebration at 10 a.m. in front of the hospital at 3100 Oak Grove Road. All are welcome to attend this event with speakers from Mid-America Transplant, the hospital and a special guest appearance from a local donor family.
The Blue & Green Flag will fly throughout the month at PBRMCs campus. Registration to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor can be done at www.SayYesGiveLife.org or in the Medical ID tab of your iPhone Health app.
*Data from the Donate Life America (DLA) Registry Overview Report, organdonor.gov, and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) as of March 2024.
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