When you think of February 14th the first things that probably come to mind are red, candy hearts, and Valentine’s Day. But, for the thousands of individuals who have benefited from organ donation, “National Donor Day” might be at the top of the list. Observed each year on February 14th, National Donor Day is designed to raise awareness and educate people about organ, eye, tissue, and blood donation. It’s also a day to recognize both the donors and those who have received donations. National Donor Day was started by the Saturn Corporation, the United Auto Workers, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 1998. Different ways to get involved include participating in blood and marrow drives, talking with family and friends about organ donation, raising awareness on social media, and registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor.
One local organization that advocates for organ donation is Gift of Hope. Since its inception in 1986, Gift of Hope has saved more than 29,000 lives through organ donation and helped hundreds of thousands of patients receive the donated tissue they need to see, walk, and heal. Gift of Hope is one of 55 non-profit organ procurement organizations that make up the national organ donation system. In addition to raising awareness and education, Gift of Hope works to coordinate the complex donation process. There are 10 transplant centers in Illinois, and Gift of Hope works closely with each of them, as well as other transplant centers across the country. Gift of Hope services one of the largest donation areas, Illinois and northwest Indiana. The organization works with more than 180 hospitals and thousands of forensic and professional partners. Gift of Hope advocate Gina Martin works closely with coroner’s offices, state’s attorney’s offices, law enforcement, and hospitals to support a coordinated donation effort. As Gina explains when talking about her outreach, “it’s important to make sure families understand that their loved one can share the gift of organ and tissue donation and at Gift of Hope we support families in these very difficult decisions.” Saving lives through organ and tissue donation is only possible because of the generosity and compassion of donors and their families.
One frequently asked, and extremely important, question is how does a person register to be an organ and tissue donor? There are multiple ways, including visiting the website http://www.lifegoeson.com, visiting any Illinois Secretary of State office location, or calling the Secretary of State’s Organ/Tissue Donor Program at (800) 210-2106. For online registration you must have a state ID or Illinois driver’s license number and be at least 18 years old. Another frequently asked question is what organs and tissue can be donated? Organs that can be donated are the liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine. Tissues that can be donated are corneas, bone, saphenous veins, heart valves, and soft tissue such as tendons, ligaments, and skin.
Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, with offices in Chicago and Springfield, Gift of Hope is busy helping families each and every day. As our region’s designated organ procurement organization, Gift of Hope is called in to evaluate for potential organ/tissue donation. If a medically eligible person did not previously authorize donation, representatives from Gift of Hope meet with the legal next of kin to explain the process and ask for authorization. If authorization is granted, Gift of Hope works with the U.S. transplant waiting list to find matching recipients. The national system matches available organs with people on the waiting list based on a number of factors including blood type, body size, and donor distance. One individual's decision to become an organ or tissue donor can have a life-changing impact on many. According to Donate Life America, one person can save up to eight lives through organ donation, restore sight to two people through cornea donation, and heal more than 75 lives through tissue donation.
For more information on National Donor Day and other upcoming observances including National Donate Life Month in April, please visit https://donatelife.net/how-you-can-help/national-observances-celebrations.
For more information on Gift of Hope, please visit https://giftofhope.org.
