Celebrate April: National Donate Life Month

Apr 4, 2017 | Mayo Clinic Transplant Staff | @mayoclinictransplantstaff

National Donate Life Month is celebrated every year in April, giving us the opportunity to thank our donor families and living donors who have stepped up to save someone’s life. It also provides the opportunity to promote organ donation to those who haven’t found it in their hearts to sign up yet.

National Donate Life Month was started by Donate Life America and state Donate Life organizations in 2003. The entire month is filled with local, regional and national activities encouraging Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those who have saved lives through the gift of donation. image-ac3bf5aa223d

Each year the Donate Life team selects artwork to use in the campaign, and this artwork always comes with a story. In the center of this year’s artwork theme is the pinwheel. The pinwheel portrays opportunity and energy. It’s symbolic of an instrument that turns obstacles into opportunities. The pinwheel’s ability to capture and pass on energy parallels an organ donor’s potential to make LIFE possible. Each Donate Life pinwheel has four sails supported by one stem, symbolizing the power one person has to be an organ, eye, tissue or living donor. The pinwheel reminds us that we all have the potential to capture and pass on life, comfort and hope to others by registering as a donor.
This April, we encourage you to stop to feel the breeze, watch the pinwheels and think of the lives of those touched by donation and transplantation." – Donate Life America

National Donate Life Month is a busy time for the transplant programs at Mayo Clinic. Our staff, patients, and friends plan activities to honor our donors and to show the amazing outcomes that come from organ donation. We help patients tell their stories for the news, participate in Blue & Green Day, and you might even see some of our staff running in some 5Ks in honor of the month! There are a host of other National Donate Life Month activities and events that you can find on our Events Tab.

Watch for more organ donation information, blog posts, and stories from Mayo Clinic this month! We want to hear from you too. Tell us if you have a favorite event for National Donate Life Month.

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