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Mayo Clinic raises awareness about organ donation during National Donate Life Month
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ROCHESTER, Minn. — More than 107,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for an organ transplant. Sadly, 20 people die every day while waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Mayo Clinic recently launched an online campaign with the goal of registering 600 more people to be organ donors.
"While 95 percent of Americans say they are in favor of being an organ donor, only 58 percent are registered," says Dr. J.P. Scott, medical director of Mayo Clinic's William J. von Liebig Transplant Center in Rochester. "It only takes a few minutes to register online or check the box on a driver's license application to become a registered donor. This simple and generous act of letting one's wishes be known has the potential to truly save lives."
April is National Donate Life Month, which encourages people to register to be organ, eye and tissue donors, and honor those who have given the gift of life. In addition to encouraging people to register to become organ donors, Mayo Clinic has several other activities planned this month to raise awareness about the need for organ donation. They include:
- Raising the Donate Life flag at both the Mayo Clinic Hospitals – Rochester, Saint Marys Campus and Methodist Campus Monday, April 12.
- Lighting the Plummer Building in downtown Rochester blue and green in honor of National Donate Life Blue and Green Day on Friday, April 16. Some Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin will also be lighting their buildings. On Blue and Green Day, individuals are encouraged to wear blue and green to promote the importance of registering to be an organ donor.
- Mayo Clinic Transplant Center will join LifeSource and the Gift of Life Transplant House in hosting a virtual "Walk of Remembrance" tribute to organ, eye and tissue donors and their families on April 30 as part of National Donor Day. In addition, luminarias lit blue and green will be placed along 2nd Street Southwest between Saint Marys Hospital and Gift of Life Transplant House.
Mayo Clinic is the largest integrated transplant provider in the nation. Every year, Mayo Clinic surgeons perform more than 2,000 solid organ and bone marrow transplants in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Mayo Clinic has both adult and pediatric transplant programs, offering heart, liver, kidney, lung, hand, face and blood and bone marrow transplant services.
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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. For information on COVID-19, including Mayo Clinic’s Coronavirus Map tracking tool, which has 14-day forecasting on COVID-19 trends, visit the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resource Center.
Media contact:
- Heather Carlson Kehren, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, newsbureau@mayo.edu
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