November 11-13, 2011 is National Donor Sabbath
Organ, tissue and eye donation touches hundreds of thousands of lives each year. November 11-13 is National Donor Sabbath, a three-day observance that annually falls two weekends before Thanksgiving. National Donor Sabbath brings together religious and donation communities to raise awareness of the importance of giving the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation.
Observation of National Donor Sabbath is an opportunity for religious communities to touch the lives of millions of people. More than 112,000 men, women and children in the United States are currently awaiting transplants, and the number continues to grow at a rate of 142 people per day. Approximately only 50 percent of those waiting will receive the transplant they need to live. The solution to this problem is to encourage more people to commit to being organ, eye and tissue donors and provide them with the correct information on how to join their state donor registry to ensure their decision will be carried out.
Donated tissues such as skin, bone and heart valves are used to treat burn victims, increase strength, restore mobility and improve the quality of life for approximately 1 million patients each year.
The gift of sight also is desperately needed in the United States, where more than 46,000 cornea transplants are performed annually.
Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race or medical history. Ninety percent of Americans say they support donation, but only 30 percent know the essential steps to take in order to register as a life-saving donor.
To find out how to become an organ, tissue and eye donor in your state, please visit www.donatelife.net
RTI Donor Services is a not-for-profit tissue recovery network dedicated to serving donor families and the donation community in perpetuating the circle of life. In addition to offering families the option of tissue donation, RTI Donor Services supports their wishes as a responsible steward of human donated tissue gifts, provides family services, and offers community information and awareness. RTI Donor Services may be accessed through the Internet at www.rtidonorservices.org.
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