April is National Donate Life Month
MADISON, Wis. – This April, UW Health joins organizations across the country in recognizing Donate Life Month, honoring organ, eye and tissue donors and encouraging everyone to consider registering as a donor.
More than 108,000 adults and children in the United States are currently awaiting an organ transplant. That includes 1,500 people in Wisconsin and 4,400 people in Illinois. Most people on the waitlist are in need of a kidney. Unfortunately, many of these people will never receive a second chance at life, as more than 13 people die each day on the waiting list, according to Michael Anderson, executive director, UW Organ and Tissue Donation.
“Organ donation saves lives, and every single registered donor is essential,” he said. “Our goal this month, and throughout the year, is to increase the chance that those people who are waiting for a transplant will get one.”
To be eligible for donation, a person must die in a hospital, be on ventilated breathing support and experience brain death or a non-survivable injury.
Donation may be possible for older adults, and age and medical conditions don’t automatically rule someone out, according to Dr. Nikole Neidlinger, medical director, UW Organ and Tissue Donation, and associate professor of surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“We continue to expand the potential for donation, and we’ve even had donors in their 80s and 90s,” she said. “And remember, even if you are a registered donor, medical teams will always do everything they can to save your life; your life always comes first.”
People who are already registered donors or planning to register for the first time are encouraged to discuss any questions with a trusted health care provider, including their primary care provider. Resources such as Donate Life Wisconsin and organdonor.gov also offer clear, reliable information about the donation process. Once a decision is made, sharing it with loved ones helps ensure they understand your wishes and can reduce stress during times of unexpected loss, according to Neidlinger.
“Donation is a generous and deeply personal decision, and having these conversations now is a gift to your family,” she said. “It ensures your wishes are honored and provides clarity and comfort during an incredibly difficult time.”
Organ donors have enabled the UW Health Transplant Center to save thousands of lives throughout the last six decades. Since 1966, teams have transplanted more than 20,000 organs, underscoring the enduring and transformative impact of donation, according to Melissa Roberts, senior director, UW Health Transplant Center.
“Organ donation gives patients the chance to live full, meaningful lives, and we couldn’t do this work without the generosity of donors and their families,” she said. “As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we are honored to carry forward a legacy of compassion and hope.”
To learn about organ donation and register as a donor, visit uwotd.org.
Key facts about organ, eye and tissue donation, according to Donate Life America:
- A single organ donor can save up to eight lives and restore sight to two people, while a single tissue donor can help more than 75 people.
- Every eight minutes, another person is added to the national transplant wait list.
- Kidneys are the organ in greatest demand, with nearly 94,000 people across the nation awaiting one, followed by liver, heart and lungs.
- Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age, race or medical history.
- Donors are needed from all races and ethnic groups, as transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between individuals of the same ethnic background.
- Living donation is an option for both kidney and liver transplantation. To learn more visit: https://www.uwhealth.org/living-donor
