February 7, 2023, (Durham, NC) – HonorBridge announced another exceptional year saving and healing lives in 2022. Lifesaving organs were recovered from a record-breaking, 316 heroic donors, ages 3-months to 69-years. From newborns to an 85-year-old, 1,193 tissue donors gave the gift of life despite the continued challenges of Covid-19. Because of the selfless and heroic decisions of our donors and their families, and the caring collaboration of hospital partners, thousands of lives have been and will be saved and healed.
The dedicated and innovative staff of HonorBridge accomplished many breakthroughs in 2022 including setting the record for number of deceased organ donors, offering donation to more families than ever before, hitting the second highest number of recovered organs, and playing a vital role in helping the United States organ donation system surpass 1 million organ transplants back in September. The selfless spirit of the donors and their families coupled with the perseverance of HonorBridge staff and partners ultimately made 2022 a success and set a path for a remarkable 2023.
“2022 was not an easy year as we dealt with the on-going impact of the pandemic as well as some global economic concerns. However, looking back, I am humbled by the generosity of donor heroes and their families who chose to give the gift of life,” said HonorBridge President & CEO Danielle Bumarch. “A heartfelt thank you to all our hospital and community partners for their support and trust. Because of them, we are able together to save and heal more lives through the power of organ and tissue donation.”
During 2022, HonorBridge staff:
- Recovered organs from a record-breaking 316 donors
- Recovered tissues from 1,193 donors
- Transplanted 840 organs
- Recovered 213 organs for research, a 13% increase from 2021
- Recovered 2,890 tissues
- Helped save 750 lives, our second highest number ever
- Provided follow up and support to 2,075 donor family members, including facilitating two, in-person, donor family/recipient meetings
- Conducted 625 organ donation conversations with families, an 8% increase from 2021
- Received authorization from 433 organ donor families, a 10% increase from 2021
- Visited more than 300 funeral homes
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North Carolina’s HonorBridge Breaks Records Saving and Healing Lives in 2022 Page 2
- Partnered with more than 30 workplaces to provide donation awareness and education
- The number of registered donors in North Carolina reached more than 5,516,425 through our partnership with the DMV
- Launched a redesigned website: HonorBridge.org
2023 presents even more opportunities for HonorBridge. The new Chapel Hill building will open in the first quarter, allowing for on-site organ and tissue recovery which will lead to more lives saved and healed. It will also have waiting rooms, additional resources, and a memorial garden to support donor families and honor their loved ones. “Your organization does the most wonderful job of infusing meaning, hope, and comfort into what is possibly some of the most sorrowful moments of anyone’s life,” said donor family member, Diane. “We are so grateful for, and inspired by, the love and support that you provide to the families of the donors.”
With over 85% of the people on the national waiting list waiting for a kidney, there is increasing disparity between the number of patients waiting and the number of deceased organs available. Expansion of the organ donor pool to increase the availability of transplantable organs is at the heart of HonorBridge’s mission. HonorBridge was awarded a $405,000 grant by the Kidney Transplant Collaborative, to develop a new, improved system. In collaboration with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, the aim is to develop a system for procurement and tracking of kidney donation outcomes, with the potential to increase kidney donation and become a national model for expanding kidney recovery and transplantation.
HonorBridge continues its commitment to invest in the communities it serves to build trust, break down barriers and educate the public on the vital need for registering. “Organ donation is rare,” said Bumarch. “While most of the population can be tissue donors at their time of death, less than 1% of deaths are able to result in organ donation. This why our team works so incredibly hard to save lives and encourage everyone to say ‘yes’ to donation. One donor can save 8 lives and heal as many as 75. That is truly a heroic choice we all can make.”
Nationally, over 105,000 men, women, and children, including more 3,000 North Carolinians, are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. You can register your decision at your local DMV or at HonorBridge.org/RegisterMe.
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About HonorBridge:
HonorBridge is the federally designated, not-for-profit organ procurement organization serving 7.5 million people in 77 counties in North Carolina, along with Pittsylvania County in Virginia. With offices in Durham, Greenville, and Winston-Salem, HonorBridge is devoted to building connections that save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation. In North Carolina, almost 3,000 people are currently waiting for organ transplants and nationally, over 105,000 people are on the organ waiting list. For more information, visit HonorBridge.org or call 1-800-200-2672.
