FORT MYERS, Fla – (April 20, 2016) – April is federally sanctioned as Donate Life Month, which honors the spirit of those individuals who make transplants possible—organ, tissue and eye donors, celebrates the lives of transplant recipients and calls attention to the more than 121,000 men, women and children who still wait; nearly 5,500 patients waiting in Florida alone. Together with the Fort Myers Miracle Baseball Team, LifeLink of Florida, the organ and tissue recovery agency serving southwest Florida, will celebrate the importance of donation this Saturday, April 23rd, during the Miracle’s 6:05 pm game.
To kick off the game, liver recipient Jog Hitch will toss out the first pitch, and Hannah Bogue, whose mother, Danielle, was an organ donor when Hannah was a baby, will also participate in the game, while sharing Danielle’s story. Through announcements and public education, attendees will be encouraged to register as a donor on Florida’s organ, tissue and eye donor registry by visiting www.DonateLifeFlorida.org, or stopping by the LifeLink table to register in person.
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 kidney 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.
Each year, more than 28,000 lives are saved thanks to organ donation, and hundreds of thousands are improved through tissue transplantation. Sadly, eighteen people die each day due to the lack of available organs for transplant. Contact LifeLink of Florida for more information on organ and tissue donation at (800) 262-5775 or by visiting www.LifeLinkFoundation.org.
LifeLink of Florida is a non-profit community service organization dedicated to the recovery of organs and tissues for transplantation. To register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.DonateLifeFlorida.org.