Save lives with the gift of tissue donation | GUEST COMMENTARY

April is National Donate Life Month

April 22, 2017 1:15 pm
Save lives with the gift of tissue donation | GUEST COMMENTARY

By Levi Anderson

General Manager, LifeNet Health

April is National Donate Life Month, a time to educate Washingtonians about the process and incredible impact of donation, celebrate those who have saved lives with their gifts and encourage more people to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor.

Did you know one donor can save up to nine lives through organ donation and enhance more than 150 lives through tissue donation? Most people are familiar with organ donation—such as hearts and kidneys—but less familiar with tissue donation or a common transplant called an allograft. Allografts are usually implants of bone, tendons, ligaments, skin, veins, heart valves and corneas. A heart valve can save the life of a baby with a congenital heart defect; bone implants can help a person suffering from scoliosis, or curvature of the spine; and skin implants are used to heal burn victims. An estimated one in 20 Americans will need some type of tissue transplant in their lifetime.

At the nonprofit tissue bank where I work in Renton, we have a tremendous dedication to the families we serve through the donation process and an equal commitment to local patients and the surgeons we work with for transplantation services. Our local recovery teams in Renton, Spokane, Missoula and Billings, Mont. care for and distribute more than 40,000 allografts and implants every year in the Pacific Northwest.

Even though more than 120 million people in the U.S. are registered donors, we know the need for donation, specifically allograft implants, continues to exceed the need here locally and across the country. This month, we encourage people to share the importance of tissue donation on social media, in conversation, and among their networks.

Here are just a few ways you can make a difference:

• Educate yourself.

• Talk to your loved ones about donating.

• Volunteer to help make a positive impact on the donation community.

• Share your story. 95 percent of Americans are in favor of being a donor, but only 54 percent are registered. Help bridge the gap by sharing the importance of donation.

• Register to be an organ and tissue donor.

Levi Anderson is the General Manager of LifeNet Health in Renton, Wash. LifeNet Health is the only full-service tissue bank in the Pacific Northwest that recovers, prepares and distributes tissue for transplantation, medical research and education.