NEWS
| 2011 NEWS ARCHIVE
100 Million Registered Organ, Eye and Tissue Donors in the U.S.
The donation and transplant community is celebrating a long-awaited milestone today. A goal set by Donate Life America and the  donation and transplant community in 2006 was achieved this month. One hundred million people in the United States are now reported as registered organ, eye and tissue donors through state donor registries! As we celebrate this achievement, the need for transplants continues to rise. Nationally, more than 112,000 men, women and children currently await lifesaving organ transplants. Over 3,500 of those individuals live right here in North Carolina. Thousands more await needed tissue transplants to resume their normal lives. A surge in the number of donors is necessary to continue saving more lives. North Carolinians are encouraged to register as donors by adding a heart to their driver's license at their local DMV office, or by visiting www.DonateLifeNC.org. To date, the North Carolina donor registry has more than four million registered organ and eye donors.
As the donation and transplant community celebrates the accomplishment of registering 100 million people, work has already begun to reach the new national goal of registering 20 million new donors by the end of 2012. Twenty million additional donors would result in saving thousands more lives each year.
"At a time when we as a nation have difficulty finding common ground on many important issues, 100 million people have agreed on their desire to save lives by registering as donors. They are hope for all of the men, women and children in need of lifesaving transplants today. For that, we say thank you," says David Fleming, President & CEO of Donate Life America. "While this achievement speaks volumes about the generosity of human beings, more work needs to be done to motivate Americans to register and save the lives of those in need."
"As we lay the foundation to register an additional 20 million people by the end of 2012, we are developing strategies to overcome the obstacles presented by maturing registries. We are not deterred by the challenges ahead," says Donate Life America Chairperson, Helen W. Bottenfield. "Our primary goal is to preserve human life and improve the quality of life for those in need of organ, corneal and tissue transplants. We will remain focused and find creative ways to reach, educate and motivate those who have not yet registered as donors."
"The 5th Quarter" Now Available on DVD and Blu-ray
“The 5th Quarter”, a film that highlights the struggles and triumphs families face with organ donation, is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. A Rick Bieber Film, “The 5th Quarter”, starring Aidan Quinn and Andie MacDowell, is a true story of faith, family, football and a triumph over tragedy.
In February 2006, young Luke Abbate accepted a ride home from a fellow student following his high-school team practice. The driver lost control of his car, spinning off a narrow road and landing in an embankment some seventy feet below. Luke suffered irreversible brain damage, and died in the hospital two days later. The Abbate family faced a difficult decision to allow the doctors to recover Luke’s organs to help others live. Five recipients matched Luke’s organs. One of the recipients was a young mother, who was suffering from heart disease. Luke’s heart was flown to the young woman’s hospital, and the heart transplant saved her life.
Following his brother’s death, Jon Abbate considered giving up his football career, but knew that doing so would not honor his younger brother who loved and idolized him. Upon his return to Wake Forest, Jon gained the approval of head coach Jim Grobe to change his number from his long-standing 40, to his brother’s number 5. In so doing, Jon dedicated the new season to the memory of his brother. A new tradition began during the following Wake Forest football season. In paying homage to Luke, Jon would signal his family who were sitting in the stands (Section 5) by holding up his hand with all 5 fingers. He did this at the end of the third quarter. Gradually, the rest of his team started to do the same. Within a couple of games, players from both teams, the fans in the stands, and those watching the games on television, began the final quarter by raising their hands with all five fingers outstretched in honor of Luke’s memory. The final quarter became known as Luke’s Quarter, the 5th Quarter.
2012 Donate Life Rose Parade® Float Imagines ...One More Day to Celebrate
and Save Lives
Amid Beautiful Floral Timepieces and a 30-Foot Clock Tower, Organ, Eye and Tissue Donors and Recipients Reinforce the Preciousness of Time
LOS ANGELES, CA, June 14, 2011 -- Ask anyone whose loved one gave life in their passing, or anyone waiting for a life-saving organ transplant what they wish for most. Many would answer the same way: more time. On Jan. 2, 2012, transplant recipients, living donors, and family members of deceased donors will join together to honor the preciousness of ...One More Day on the ninth Donate Life Rose Parade float entry, a partnership of more than 100 organizations dedicated to inspiring people to save and heal lives through the donation of organs, eyes and tissue.
"Donate Life's float theme is a deeply emotional coda to the 2012 Rose Parade theme, Just Imagine... ", said Bryan Stewart, chairman of the Donate Life Rose Parade Float Committee and vice president of communications at OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ and tissue recovery organization serving the greater Los Angeles area. "The opportunity to live, or relive, a precious moment in time inspires us to Just Imagine...One More Day when donor families are reunited with loved ones, transplant recipients thrive, and living and registered donors step forward so that a life-saving transplant is available to everyone in need."
With a design inspired by floral clocks and clock towers from around the world, the 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade float will carry up to 28 donor family members, living donors, and transplant recipients. Six enormous floral timepieces will be adorned with 64 memorial "floragraphs" (floral portraits) of deceased donors whose gifts gave life and time to so many. A rose dedication garden honors more than 3,000 people worldwide; each rose will bear a vial with a personal message honoring a loved one. Anchoring the float is a 30-foot clock tower with a sun/moon dial reminding us to make each passing day count.
The Donate Life Rose Parade float has become the nation's most visible campaign to inspire people to become organ, eye, and tissue donors. The concept originated with lung recipient Gary Foxen of Orange, Calif., who wanted to express gratitude to donors who make transplantation possible. Now, in addition to the 40 million viewers who will see the Rose Parade, dozens of events are held in cities and towns around the country to put the finishing touches on floragraph portraits and present dedicated roses to donor families. This last year alone, the Donate Life float generated more than 500 media stories nationwide.
"Since the Donate Life float made its first appearance in 2004, more than 50 million Americans have signed up as donors on their state donor registries," said David Fleming, president and CEO of Donate Life America. "However, the circumstances that allow for organ donation are very rare, so just as every day counts, so does every donation opportunity. We hope that anyone who has not yet registered will be inspired by Donate Life’s float to join the 100 million Americans who have checked 'Yes' for donation when applying for or renewing their driver's license or identification card."
Carolina Donor Services’ 2011 Calendar, Featuring Stories of Organ Donation and Transplantation, Wins Two International Awards
Carolina Donor Services recently won a Gold 2011 Hermes Creative Award and a Gold 2011 Aster Award for its 2011 Calendar featuring stories of hope through organ and tissue donation.
Each year Carolina Donor Services creates and distributes a calendar that features pictures and stories of organ and tissue donors and their families, organ and tissue transplant recipients, those awaiting a transplant, and others who have been touched by donation. The calendars are distributed throughout the community and aim to bring a personal touch to donation and transplantation. “Each page of the calendar tells the story of those who’ve been touched by donation. It provides a poignant reminder, each day of the year, of the critical need for donation. We are grateful to those who allowed us to feature their stories which brought about this international recognition of our efforts to educate North Carolinians about donation,” said Dawn Hall, Director of Communications for Carolina Donor Services. The Hermes Creative Awards recognizes outstanding work in the design and development of creative marketing materials. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). This year’s competition drew over 4,000 entries from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, marketing firms and freelance professionals across the United States and around the globe.
The Aster Awards, hosted by Marketing Healthcare Today Magazine and Creative Images, Inc. recognizes outstanding healthcare professionals for excellence in their advertising/marketing efforts. This year’s competition received approximately 3,000 entries from across the United States, as well as, Canada and South America. Judging criteria for both awards includes creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.
Annual Donate Life Walk/5K Run
April 9, 2011
Come out and get some fresh air! The 6th Annual Donate Life Walk/5K Run is on April 9, 2011 in Winston Salem. Forsyth Medical Center, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and Carolina Donor Services host this great event to raise awareness about the critical need for organ, tissue and eye donation. Please here to see the brochure, and click here to register online. |
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"The 5th Quarter"
Starring Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell and Ryan Merriman, "The 5th Quarter" is true a story of faith, family, football - and triumph through tragedy. You may remember the story - Luke Abbate was a 15 year old who in his untimely death was able to give the gift of life as an organ donor. Luke's life inspired his brother Jon to lead Wake Forest University to their first ever championship football season.
"The 5th Quarter" opens Friday, March 25, 2011 in select theaters. Be sure to check it out at a theater near you and then let us know what you thought on our Facebook page.
Share the Love - Give the Gift
Did you know Valentine's Day was also National Donor Day? It may have come and gone, but we're creating awareness all month long. National Donor Day honors those who have donated organs, tissues, marrow and blood to save the lives of others through increasing awareness and encouraging Americans to make donations. Valentine’s Day is the day of love, and donation is the gift of life.
 Valentine’s Day is only one day though, and Carolina Donor Services wants to share the love for 28 days. During this month of love, give the gift of life. Make February 2011 the month you join millions of North Carolinians in making the donation decision.
In honor of National Donor Day Carolina Donor Services will be encouraging individuals to Share the Love – Give the Gift by registering as donors and joining the Carolina Donor Services’ Facebook page. As part of this campaign, Carolina Donor Services will be giving away gift baskets themed after each of the eight transplantable organs. Gift baskets include t-shirts and plush organs from I Heart Gut, information on how to keep your organs healthy, and goodies galore. Visit Carolina Donor Services on Facebook for your chance to win, and to learn more.
To participate in Carolina Donor Services’ Share the Love – Give the Gift, take
part in one of these activities:
- “Like” the Carolina Donor Services Facebook page to show your support
of donation and transplantation online.
- Register as a donor by visiting the Donate Life North Carolina Online
Donor Registry if you have not already.
- Enter to win our weekly February prize drawing by visiting the Carolina
Donor Services Facebook page, “Liking” the post of the day, and sharing
it on your own Facebook page. To increase your chances of winning,
“Like” and share the post of the day every day.
2011 HRSA Calendar
CDS' own Manager of Family Services, Tacuma Johnson, was featured as the month of November in the 2011 Department of Health and Human Services calendar. Way to go, Tacuma!
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