April - Donate Life Month

He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shall thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psalms 91, verse 4 KJV

There is always someone in desperate need and waiting for an organ, eye, or tissue transplant. Approximately 95,000 people are on the U.S. organ transplant waiting list for kidneys, livers, pancreases, intestines, hearts, and lungs. Higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease are seriously affecting certain population groups, leaving many people in need of organ transplants. Almost 28,000 lives were saved last year as a result of the Gift of Life, and one million people had their lives enhanced through tissue transplant. Thousands more regained the gift of sight, thanks to donated corneas.

The Washington Regional Transplant Consortium (WRTC) is the federally designated organ procure- ment organization for the metropolitan DC area. It provides excellence and integrity in organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation services. It also works to support donor families. WRTC can help places of worship proclaim the good news that organ and tissue donation saves and enhances lives. For more information, contact WRTC at 1-866-BE-A-DONOR.

Facts About Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation

• Donation is only an option after all life-saving efforts have been made, and death has been declared. A commitment to donation will NOT interfere with medical care.

• There is no cost to the donor’s family or estate for donation.

• Donation should not delay or change funeral arrangements.

• It is illegal to buy or sell organs and tissue for transplantation in the United States.

• Organs are distributed based upon medical information like blood type, body size, and tissue type matching through a national computer network operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). It is illegal to distribute organs based on non-medical information such as wealth, citizenship, or celebrity status. Tissue is distributed based upon patient need, availability, and medical criteria.

• Every organ and tissue donor can save and enhance the lives of up to 50 people.

How to Donate

Signing a donor card or driver’s license does not guarantee that organs will be donated. The best way to be sure that wishes are carried out is to inform the family of the desire to donate. Hospitals get consent of the next of kin before removing organs. If the family is aware of the desire to be a donor, it makes it easier for them to give their consent. A durable power of attorney will also ensure that wishes are honored.

The response to the recent March Pohick blood drive was wonderful. THANKS to everyone who donated or attempted to donate. The next blood drive will be in early October, so if anyone can donate in May and July, please continue to do so at another donation site.