April is Donate Life Month

Each day, nearly 80 people receive the organ transplant that gives them a second chance, but 19 others die waiting for a donated organ. Today, more than 95,000 people in the U.S. including 1,700 in Colorado are waiting for a life-saving organ or tissue transplant.

National Donate Life Month originated in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan emphasized the need for a week dedicated to organ and tissue donors. In 2003, the weeklong event expanded to an entire month with the help of President George Bush.

Now, National Donate Life Month not only pays tribute to all those who donate, but also seeks to educate the public about the myriad of ways one person can make a life-saving donation whether it be through organ, tissue, marrow or blood donation.

To support Donate Life Month, in addition to collecting blood donations and recruiting marrow donors to the National Marrow Donor Registry, Bonfils Blood Center, through our partnership with Donor Awareness Council, offers enrollment in the Colorado Organ and Tissue Registry at our donor centers and blood drives giving donors an opportunity to save more lives.

  Have any feedback or comments about this issue of Connections? Please let us know.