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National Organ Donor Day: Get On the List

Valentine’s Day may feel a little like a Hallmark holiday, but the day marks more than the celebration of couples and their love. Since 1998, February 14th has also served as National Donor Day; an event started by the Saturn Corporation and its United Auto Workers partner, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other nonprofits. National Donor Day focuses its awareness campaign on five specific areas: organs, tissues, marrow, platelets and blood.1

Who needs donations? More than 116,000 men, women and children are on the national transplant waiting list and 20 die each day while waiting. Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the list.2

Who’s signing up? Interestingly, studies show 95 percent of adults support organ donation, but only 54 percent are signed up.3 National Donor Day and other awareness days throughout the year are aimed at closing this gap and making more people aware of how easy it is to sign up and make a difference.

Why donate? The answer to this question seems obvious—to save a life! But actually, signing up to be an organ donor is even more powerful than that. Every organ donor has the ability to give 8 lifesaving organs.4 Most religions approve of donation and believe the act to be one of charity they support.5

Become a donor today. Signing up to become a donor is a simple process that can drastically impact the lives of others. Share your desire to make a difference in one of the following ways:

  • Register in your state: Visit organdonor.gov/register.htmllink opens in a new window, select your state and share your wishes to become a donor.
  • Talk about donation with family and friends: It’s important to make sure your loved ones understand how you feel about organ donation so if the time comes to make a decision, they’ll know what you want. And you might just inspire them to sign up, too.
  • Share your feelings on social: If you’re passionate about organ donation, share it! Follow the Health Resources & Services Administration on Facebooklink opens in a new window and Twitter.link opens in a new window Let your social network connections know about National Donor Day and the benefits of donation by sharing the organization’s social media graphics.6
  • Volunteer to help: Helping comes in many forms, most notably by becoming an advocate for donation in places you frequent, such as your home, work and place of worship. Use awareness resourceslink opens in a new window to help more people realize the importance of signing up to become a donor.7

References:
1 “National Donation Events.” OrganDonor.gov, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2,3,4 “Organ Donation Statistics.” Organ Donation Statistics: Why be an Organ Donor?, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
5 “Religious Views on Organ Donation.” Donate Life California, Donate Life California.
6 “Help spread the word about donation on social media.” OrganDonor.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
7 “Get Involved,Participate, Connect, Sign Up.” OrganDonor.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.