Coffee Regional Medical Center is celebrating National Donate Life Month throughout April. We join hundreds of organizations in Georgia and across the United States in spreading this life-saving message. The month-long celebration commemorates those who have received or continue to wait for lifesaving transplants, as well as organ donors who save and heal lives.
Today, more than 108,000 men, women, and children await the opportunity for renewed life through organ donation. Hundreds of thousands of more people will benefit from tissue, cornea, and blood donation annually. Over 4,000 of those waiting for a suitable donor are our friends and neighbors in Georgia. You can donate life by choosing to be an organ donor.
If you or a family member choose to be an organ donor, it’s important to understand the facts regarding organ donation. According to LifeLink of Georgia:
- One organ & tissue donor can save or improve the lives of more than 75 people.
- All major religions support donation as a personal decision and a generous gift to humanity.
- Donation places no financial burden on the family of the donor. Donation-related costs are covered by LifeLink.
- Doctors who treat patients at the time of death are not involved in the donation process. Every effort is made to save a life before a donation can be considered.
- It is a federal crime to buy or sell organs in the U.S.
- More than half of all candidates listed for transplantation are minorities.
- More than 1 million tissue transplants occur each year, and the need continues to rise.
People of all ages and medical histories can be potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated. Georgians can join the state’s organ and tissue donor registry in the following ways:
- Online at www.DonateLifeGeorgia
- when obtaining/renewing a driver license or identification card at a local driver license office
- Calling Donate Life Georgia directly at 1-866-57-SHARE (1-866-577-4273) and requesting a registry card
- When obtaining a hunting, fishing, or trapping license through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
In conjunction with donor registration, please share your donation decision with your family and encourage them to do the same.