Three Ways You Can Help in Honor of Donate Life Month
Every April, SightLife and our donation partners celebrate Donate Life Month (DLM) – an annual awareness-building event led by Donate Life America to celebrate those who have received transplants, recognize those who continue to wait, honor donors and donor families, and thank registered donors for giving hope.
Inspired by the vital role that bees play in sustaining life, this year’s theme is Bee A Donor! Bees are a small but powerful life force, working together with dedication, collaboration and a strong sense of community – much like the organ, eye and tissue donation community that SightLife is proud to be a part of.
Thanks to advancements in eye banking and cornea recovery, as well as supportive public policy, there is currently no wait list for a sight-restoring corneal transplant in the U.S. Annually, U.S. eye banks provide approximately 85,000 corneas for transplant – restoring sight for men, women and children in the U.S. and beyond.
However, for organ donation, the demand always outpaces supply. Currently, there are more than 100,000 people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, and one more person is added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list every nine minutes. Of those waiting, approximately 60% are from historically marginalized communities
But you can help with three simple actions:
- Register to be a donor at RegisterMe.org. Join the 170 million people in the U.S. who are registered organ, eye and tissue donors.
- Share your wishes to be a donor with your family and friends. This simple conversation will help your family feel confident in their decision after you pass.
- Visit DonateLife.net to discover ways you can be a donation champion. From spreading the word to financially supporting organizations that make donation possible, there is an array of ways to support.
In honor of Donate Life Month, SightLife encourages you to Bee a Donor! Learn more about Donate Life Month and email us if you have any questions about donation.