According to the Donate Life America 2015 Annual Update, 50% of the US Population, age 18 and older are designated organ donors! This makes for the largest “membership” organization in the country.
In 2015, US transplants reached the over 30K milestone. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), approximately 58% of the transplants performed were kidney transplants, 23% liver transplants, 9% heart transplants, 7% Lung transplants, 2% Kidney-pancreas transplants and 1% other.
There are over 121,000 people on the transplant waiting list and an average of 22 people die each day while waiting for a life -saving organ transplant. Polls show that over 90% of Americans say they support organ donation. We still have more lives to save and donors to register!
Since 2014, The Ultimate Gift of Life Foundation has been active in the states of Texas and New Mexico to help increase awareness about organ donation and to increase the number of registered organ donors. With the use of the internet and Social Media, our efforts have gone beyond state borders into other areas of the country and the world. We have over 550 followers on our Facebook page and our websites have had over 5000 visitors since their inception.
Whether through booth events, speaking engagements or partnerships, we are educating people about organ donation. We encourage everyone to log into their State Registry to verify that they are on the list – regardless of whether there is a heart on your license or not. Medical professionals first check the registry to see if a patient is an organ donor, not the license. Time is critical in the donation process. The heart and lungs must be transplanted within 6 hours, the liver within 12 hours, pancreas within 18 hours and the kidney within 36 hours.
We encourage all registered organ donors to tell their loved ones about their decision to be an organ donor so that loved one’s can honor their wishes and be prepared.
If you would like to confirm or register to be an organ donor, please go to Become an Organ Donor
For more information contact Kristy Vandenberg at kristy@theultimategiftoflife.com
Or Judy Mancillas at judy@theultimategiftoflife.com.
For information about our events in Texas go to TUG-TX.com/Events
For information about our events in New Mexico go to TUG-NM.com/Events
Turn a Time of Loss Into a Time of Hope!
Become an Organ Donor!
