Donate Life NC does a wonderful job of crafting Donate Life messages that can be shared across the state to help in our joint goal of inspiring more North Carolinians to register. As we make resolutions at the beginning of the month and approach the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January 20th, there are plenty of opportunities to raise awareness in January!
These messages can be shared by an individual or both internally and externally by an organization. Internal suggestions include: electronic message boards in hospitals and clinics, employee intranets and email messages. Externally, share these via social media — and be sure you are following HonorBridge on Facebook and Donate Life NC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest.
Messages to Share
- At the end of November, there were 4,453,919 registered organ donors in North Carolina. While that is just over 50% of all license and ID card holders, we can do better. What will you do to help us inspire more donors in 2014? Donate Life NC wrote a blog post about this.
- Making your resolution for 2014? Make sure “Register as an organ, eye and tissue donor” is included! To register here in North Carolina, say “Yes!” at the DMV when receiving or renewing your driver’s license, or register online TODAY at Register as a Donor.
- Debunking common donations myths and misconceptions: in part one of an eight part series put out by Donate Life NC, they break down one of the most common reasons we hear why people do not register to be an organ donor. They are afraid that if they are a registered donor and in an accident, the first responders will not work as hard to save their lives. This is absolutely false. Read more here: https://www.donatelifenc.org/blog/fact-over-fiction-debunking-common-donation-myths-part-one
- Meet Marshall, an avid hockey player and now an active high school student in Raleigh. Just a few years ago, Marshall and his family faced some of the worse news imaginable: Marshall had end-stage renal failure, and he needed a lifesaving kidney transplant. Fortunately, through the generous act of his aunt, Marshall received his second chance and was able to return to the ice in just a few weeks: https://www.donatelifenc.org/blog/hockey-player-focused-saving-shots-needed-his-own-saving/
New Video to Share
- PSA featuring donor mother/kidney recipient Delores Benton Evans and heart recipient Jim Hatchell; highlights Delores’ son, Ryan, who gave the gift of life to both his mother and to Jim: https://youtu.be/hVe1mZI_3HQ
Facts and Statistics to Share
- Over 22,000 Latinos/Hispanics are waiting for an organ transplant.
- African-Americans make up almost 30 percent of the national transplant waiting list.
- African-Americans make up 21.4 percent of North Carolina’s overall population, but represent nearly 50 percent of North Carolinians waiting for an organ transplant.
- Of the more than 1,710 African-Americans waiting for transplants in North Carolina, 95 percent are waiting for a kidney transplant.
- 18.5 percent of all patients awaiting organ transplants in the United States are of Latino heritage.
- The majority of Latino patients are waiting for kidney transplants. Here in North Carolina, 86 percent of Latinos waiting need a kidney transplant.
- Diabetes, a leading cause of kidney failure in the US, is estimated to be four to six times more common in Latinos/ Hispanic-Americans.
- African-Americans are four times more likely than Caucasians to be on dialysis because of kidney failure, which must often be treated by kidney transplantation.
- Race is not a barrier to being a donor, nor is it a criterion for organ matching. A computer database matches organ donors with potential recipients according to medical suitability. However, patients waiting for kidney transplants are more likely to have an antigen match with a donor of the same race. Therefore, African-Americans will “match” better with a kidney donated from an African-American than any other race — as will Asians with Asians, etc.
- On Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 20), encourage your employees and communities to inspire others to register as donors at Register as a Donor or at the DMV. Follow the conversation via Twitter at #MLKDay.
Coming Up
- February 14 is National Donor Day! What will you do at your organization to inspire more to register as organ, eye and tissue donors that day?
