Donate Life South Carolina
and
LifePoint
celebrate
National Donate Life Month
this April. Kicking off the month-long celebration
Donate Life South Carolina
and the
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
will hold a joint press conference at
10:00 AM on April 2, 2015 i
n the first floor lobby of the
South Carolina State House
in Columbia. This press conference will announce the results of the first year of the renewed partnership to increase the number of registered donors in the state.
Governor Nikki Haley
will speak followed by
Senator Katrina Shealy
of Lexington County, who will announce a Senate resolution designating April as
Donate Life Month
in South Carolina.
Donate Life Month
honors the generosity of organ, eye and tissue donors and their families. It also commemorates those who have received or continue to wait for lifesaving transplants. In addition to the joint press conference, numerous other events will be taking place across the state to commemorate
Donate Life Month
. The larger events include:
1.)
National Blue and Green Day:
On April 17, 2015, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green, hold events and fundraisers, and partner with other community organizations in an effort to spread awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation.
Over 35 South Carolina DMV offices will be participating to show support for organ, eye and tissue donation.
Several hospitals across the state will also recognize this day.
2.)
Wall of Hope and Linking Hands for Life
: Baptist Easley Hospital will unveil a
Wall of Hope
exhibit on April 17, 2015 at 1:00 PM. The purpose of this exhibit is to help raise awareness about the need for more organ, eye and tissue donors in Pickens County, as well as all of the Upstate. The Wall of Hope consists of a series of large full-color panels that tell the stories of local transplant recipients and donors. Following the
Wall of Hope
unveiling, there will be a
Linking Hands For Life
ceremony on the hospital’s front lawn. The linking of hands is a symbolic chain of remembrance and thanksgiving that represents the cycle of life connecting transplant recipients and donor families.
3.)
LifePoint Donor Family Ceremony
: On April 18, 2015, LifePoint will hold its annual Donor Remembrance Ceremony in Columbia. This private ceremony honors donors from South Carolina for giving the
Gift of Life
. Each year, several hundred donor family members from across the state attend this event.
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release
Approximately half of the U.S. adult population is registered as donors in the United States and over 1.5 million are in South Carolina. Still, the number of people in need of transplants continues to rise. Currently, over
123,000
people are on the national transplant waiting list and approximately
1000
of them are on the South Carolina waiting list. In fact, an average of 21 people in the U.S. die each day because of the shortage of lifesaving organs. The solution to this problem is to continue educating the public about the lifesaving effects of donation and transplantation and encourage them to make their decision known by signing up through their state donor registry.
“We urge all South Carolinians who wish to help save lives through donation to register as donors online or the next time they visit their SCDMV,” says
Donate Life South Carolina
CEO Tracy Armstrong. “
Donate Life Month
serves
as
an opportunity to make or renew the commitment to saving lives and a chance to honor the lives of those who have given and received the
Gift of Life
.”
Individuals can also register by visiting DonateLifeSC.org. When going to the SCDMV, individuals should always check “yes” to donation on the SCDMV form to remain in the registry. The heart and “Y” symbol indicate one’s legal consent to become a donor when registering through the SCDMV.
Without more donors, many on the waiting list will die waiting. It is hoped that the designation of April as
Without more donors, many on the waiting list will die waiting. It is hoped that the designation of April as
Donate Life Month
will call attention to the need for more donors in South Carolina as well as inform the public about the South Carolina Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.
Information about
Donate Life Month
,
Donate Life South Carolina
events and the
South Carolina Organ and Tissue Donor Registry
can be found at DonateLife SC.org. To get more information or to set up an interview with someone touched by donation/transplantation contact Mark Johnson, Media Relations Coordinator for LifePoint ,at 1-800-462-0755 or 843-763-7755.
LifePoint is the designated Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) for organ recovery services in South Carolina. LifePoint actively provides organ, tissue and ocular donor services to 62 hospitals throughout the state. LifePoint also helps support and educate families at an emotionally devastating time, so they can make well-informed decisions about organ and tissue donation.
Donate Life South Carolina is the statewide organization whose mission is to promote organ and tissue donation for transplantation and provide patient assistance for South Carolina transplant recipients. Donate Life South Carolina established and maintains the South Carolina Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.
