Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Save Lives during National Donate Life Month
As you are reading, more than 123,000 patients are in need of a life-saving organ transplant in the United States including 765 New Mexicans. In an effort to promote April’s National Donate Life Month, San Juan Regional Medical Center encourages more people to register to save lives. Register as a lifesaving donor when obtaining your driver’s license at the Motor Vehicle Department, online at NMdonor.org, or call 505.843.7672 for a registry form. One person who donates organs can save the lives of up to nine patients.
Last year, nearly 30,000 patients received the gift of life from 8,500 deceased organ donors and 5,800 living donors in the United States. New Mexico’s transplant centers performed 87 kidney transplants, 71 from deceased donors and 16 from living donors. More than one million life-improving tissue transplants and nearly 50,000 corneal transplants resulted from the generosity of 30,000 tissue donors.
“San Juan Regional Medical Center is committed to increasing organ donor awareness. We have partnered with New Mexico Donor Services to encourage community members to register and become life-savers,” said Rick Wallace, President and CEO.
· On average, 150 people are added to the national organ wait list each day, one every 10 minutes.
· More than 1,000 patients on the national list are 10 years old or younger.
· Sadly, on average, 21 people die each day because the organs they need are not donated.
· More than one-third of all deceased donors are age 50 or older; nearly eight percent are age 65 or older.
· A living donor can save a life by donating a kidney or a portion of their liver, lung, pancreas, or intestine.
Approximately half of the U.S. adult population have registered as donors. While 68 percent of New Mexicans have registered, the number of people in need of transplants continues to outpace the number of donated organs available. Your decision in becoming a donor is the most effective way to ensure a life is saved and serves as a sign of hope to those who continue to wait. You can register as a lifesaving donor when obtaining your driver’s license, visiting NMdonor.org, or calling 505.843.7672.