Life Is a Beautiful Ride: Celebrating National Donate Life Month

ALBANY, N.Y., April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- April is National Donate Life Month (NDLM). Throughout the month, New Yorkers across the state will join the rest of the country to celebrate and build awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation. This year's theme is "life is a beautiful ride."

"Donate Life Month is a special time when we celebrate the tremendous generosity of donors, both living and deceased, who have saved or enhanced the lives of others," said Aisha Tator, Executive Director of Donate Life New York State, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation.  We are encouraging New Yorkers to become registered donors by joining the New York State Donate Life Registry. The selfless acts of donors can become a beautiful ride for those who receive the gift of life through an organ, tissue or eye transplant."

New York State has the third greatest need for donors in the country and enrollments in the NYS Donate Life Registry are low compared to our need for donors... Out of the estimated 9,400 New Yorkers on the waiting list, more than 1,700 have been waiting for life-saving transplants for more than five years. Each year, hundreds of New Yorkers die due to the shortage of donors.

Throughout April, Donate Life NYS collaborates with the NYS Association of County Clerks and county clerks throughout the state to educate the public about organ donation and increase rates of enrollment in the New York State Donate Life Registry. During the month, Motor Vehicle Representatives are educated about organ, eye and tissue donation and provided with informational materials preparing them to respond to customer queries about the subject. County clerk offices are provided with materials for distribution and public display. These materials remind DMV visitors about the importance of organ and tissue donation and provide natural conversation starters between DMV representatives and the public.

Statewide events during Donate Life Month include Blue & Green Day, held this year on Friday, April 12. Participants in the Day's events raise awareness about organ and tissue donation by wearing blue and green, the colors of donation, during fundraisers and other events in partnership with local restaurants, malls, the media and community organizations.

A photo contest will take place as part of Blue & Green Day in which participants share their photos on social media. The top five New York State winners will have their photos submitted to Donate Life America's national contest. For more information, please visit donatelifenys.org/BlueGreenDay.

Donation is a source of pride for living donors and provides comfort to families who have donated organs of their loved ones who have passed away. When Donna Dunn's daughter, Mary, died suddenly in 2007, the family did not hesitate to say yes when asked about donation. "Mary had been a blood donor and was proud of doing this to help other people, so we knew she would want to help in this way as well," said Dunn, who lives near Syracuse. "We donated her heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Mary saved four lives."

Join in on the celebration of life and the beautiful ride that it is.  Register today at https://donatelife.ny.gov/.

About Donate Life New York State
Donate Life New York State (NYS), formerly New York Alliance for Donation, is a not-for-profit with a mission to increase organ, eye and tissue donation in New York State through collaborative advocacy, education, promotion, and research. Our goal is to ensure a transplant for every New Yorker in need. Donate Life New York State was awarded the contract from the New York State Department of Health to operate and promote the New York State Donate Life Registry.  The organization is comprised of four organ procurement organizations and four eye and tissue banks as well as processors and other affiliates, including dedicated donation and transplantation professionals.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DonateLifeNYS Twitter: @DonateLifeNYS

CONTACT: Aisha Tator, Donate Life NYS
[email protected], (518) 326-3237 

SOURCE Donate Life New York State

Related Links

https://donatelife.ny.gov