National Donor Day – February 14, 2025

1 day ago | Kristin Eggebraaten | @keggebraaten

Organ donation, whether from a deceased donor or a living donor, is a profound act of compassion that begins with someone signing up to donate. February 14th is National Donor Day, established in 1998 to raise awareness about organ, eye, tissue, marrow, platelet and blood donation.

Today in the U.S., more than 100,000 people need an organ transplant. Despite 2024 being a record year for organ transplants with over 48,000 performed, the demand still has not been met. In order for more people to benefit from a lifesaving organ transplant, we need more donors, both living and deceased.

Living donation is a remarkable act of generosity and courage, where individuals can donate part of their liver or one of their kidneys while they are still living. Living donation not only saves lives, it also relieves the pressure on the waiting list so others can be transplanted more quickly.

Deceased organ donation is another way to save lives, it requires minimal time, and there are no preliminary physicals or doctor visits. You can simply register to be an organ donor online or with your local Department of Motor Vehicles or at https://registerme.org/. Be sure to have a discussion with your family to let them know about your donation wishes.

You can also save lives by bone marrow donation. Every 3-4 minutes in the U.S., someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer. More than 75 of these diseases can be cured or treated with a blood stem cell transplant. You can learn more by visiting the National Marrow Donor Program.

As Valentine’s Day approaches – a day dedicated to expression love and appreciation – take a moment to extend your heartfelt thanks to the thousands of organ donors, both deceased and living, and their families. These people have generously given the ultimate gift - the gift of life.

For those considering organ donation, it’s essential to understand the profound impact it can have. Just one donor has the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation and can enhance and heal more than 75 lives through eye and tissue donation.

Let’s honor the legacy of donors by continuing to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and by becoming donors if you have not already signed up. To learn more about the need for donation and how to sign up, visit https://www.donatelife.net.

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