AUGUSTA, GA – (April 1, 2016) – A chance encounter in a web forum for those suffering from liver disease brought Trine, who had received a liver transplant as a child, and Ryan who had been born with liver disease, together in friendship, which later grew into romance. 2008 was a big year for the couple. Ryan, who was then in end state liver failure, received a transplant in May - and in December, he and Trine tied the knot. They now have two children of their own, Owen and Andersen, and are so thankful. “Our family is a reality because of our donors. We are beyond grateful for their decisions that allowed us these opportunities to meet, fall in love, and bring our two children into this world.”
This April, during the federally sanctioned Donate Life Month, LifeLink® of Georgia honors the spirit of those individuals who make transplants possible—organ, tissue and eye donors. We celebrate the lives of those, like Ryan and Trine, who received their second chance - and finally, we call attention to the men, women and children who still wait. Today, we encourage everyone to take action to save lives. Register on Georgia’s organ and tissue donor registry by visiting www.DonateLifeGeorgia.org.
One organ donor can potentially save the lives of eight people, and improve the lives of dozens more through tissue donation. Donation, with the primary exception of living donation, occurs after death and deciding to register as a donor does not impact your medical care should you become ill or injured in an accident. People of all ages can choose to donate and help others in need, and donation is supported by all major religions as a personal choice and act of generosity. Donation places no financial burden on the donor’s family.
More than 121,000 people await the kidney, heart, lung, liver, pancreas or small intestine transplant in the United States, and more than 5,600 of those are Georgians. Last year, more than 30,000 lives were saved thanks to organ donation, and hundreds of thousands were improved through tissue transplantation. Sadly, twenty-two people die each day without the transplant they need.
“This month we challenge everyone to focus on the lives saved by transplantation and the continued need which grows every day in our communities,” says Kathleen Lilly, Executive Director of LifeLink of Georgia. “Please make a commitment to learn more about donation. One organ & tissue donor can save nearly 60 people. Your commitment today can make all the difference for those in desperate need.”
LifeLink of Georgia is a non-profit community service organization dedicated to the recovery of organs and tissues for transplantation. Learn more by visiting www.LifeLinkFoundation.org. Connect with us socially on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.