Record Number of Patients Receive Organ Transplants in 2014

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA), the organ procurement organization serving Central and South Texas that provides organ donation and recovery services for families who wish to donate, helped 134 individuals offer 500 transplant patients a second chance at life in 2014.

Thirty-four percent of those donors chose to give the Gift of Life with the Donate Life Texas registry by signing up online or when they renewed their driver's license – a 10 percent increase from the year prior, according to TOSA data. In 2013, 119 individuals saved the lives of 436 people awaiting a transplant.

"In 2014 we saw the number of registered donors grow significantly," states CEO Patrick Giordano. "By registering to be official organ donors with Donate Life Texas, those selfless individuals lifted the burden from their families to make a decision during a time of grief."

One such individual was 19-year-old Collin Lovett who registered to be a donor when he received his driver's license. His mom Vicki recalls a conversation she had with her son after he registered his decision to be a donor.

"It was his choice to register, his decision to donate, and we were proud to honor that decision," she said.

Collin's father Bob echoes that sentiment and was encouraged to see firsthand what the donation meant by meeting one of Collin's recipients. "You can actually feel and touch and see the impact right in front of you…to know that our son was really a part of their family right in front of us," Bob said. "It was pretty impactful."

Nationally, nine out of 10 people support organ donation yet may fail to register as donors and share their wishes with family members. Texans are encouraged to register on the official state registry at www.DonateLifeTexas.org.

For more information about organ donation and community initiatives, contact TOSA at 866-685-0277 or visit at www.txorgansharing.org.                                                                                    

Clarissa Thompson - TOSA
(O) 210-614-7030 • (C) 210-264-8124
@TxOrganSharing • Facebook.com/TxOrganSharing 

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SOURCE Texas Organ Sharing Alliance