PHILADELPHIA – As 2015 quickly draws to an end, residents throughout Pennsylvania are busy making holiday plans and thinking of resolutions to start the New Year on the right foot. Though these resolutions are created with good intentions, many will fall by the wayside within weeks of being made. Fortunately, there’s a New Year’s resolution that’s easy to keep: registering as an organ and tissue donor.
Donate Life Pennsylvania’s new mobile-friendly registration – www.DonateLifePA.org/registration – allows residents to keep their life-saving resolution in just 30 seconds.
“Exercising more, losing weight, saving money, travel – all of these resolutions are worthwhile but it takes time to see results. People who register as organ and tissue donors get the immediate satisfaction of knowing they’ve done the right thing for their community,” said Howard M. Nathan, President and CEO of Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia. “You don’t have to wait until your next visit to PennDOT. Start the New Year off with an act of service by registering in 30 seconds today.”
While 90 percent of Pennsylvanians support organ and tissue donation, only 46 percent of residents have put the donor designation on their driver’s license, learner’s permit or state identification card.
“New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but difficult to keep. Busy schedules and other obligations often prevent us from making them a reality, and it can be slow going to make significant long term changes,” said Susan Stuart, President and CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education in Pittsburgh (CORE). “Registering as an organ and tissue donor is an easy change and it only takes 30 seconds. Organ donors have the potential to make a life-saving difference for eight people and tissue donors can help up to 50.”
More than 8,200 people need a life-saving organ transplant in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, someone on the waiting list dies every 18 hours on average. Thousands more wait for tissue transplants that would greatly enhance their quality of life. For more than 20 years, Donate Life Pennsylvania has worked to educate state residents and encourage them to become organ and tissue donors.
For more information about Donate Life Pennsylvania and to register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.DonateLifePA.org/registration.
Donate Life Pennsylvania is a collaborative initiative between Gift of Life Donor Program (GOL), the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), and the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Transportation. It is funded by residents of Pennsylvania through voluntary contributions included with driver’s license renewals, vehicle registrations and state income tax filings.
All contributions are used by the Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund to educate Pennsylvanians about the importance of organ and tissue donation, and increase the number of people who register as organ and tissue donors on their driver’s license, learner’s permit or state identification card.
