Did you know that nearly 5,000 people in the greater Philadelphia region are on the UNOS transplant waiting list and 1,920 of them are listed here at Penn? Given how many people are waiting for a life-saving organ to become available, chances are you have family members, neighbors, or friends who are impacted by the shortage of organ donors.
To help raise awareness about the critical need for organ donors, April is designated as National Donate Life Month — a month to celebrate organ donation and transplantation and get the word out about the need for more donors.
Want to help? Here are five steps you can take to make a difference this month.
Register to be an Organ Donor
It only takes 30 seconds to save a life, and when just one person makes the decision to donate, they can save up to eight lives. You don’t have to wait until you’re renewing your driver’s license, getting your learner’s permit, or getting your photo ID to sign up. You can sign up to donate at any time, and it only takes 30 seconds.
Register to be an organ donor today
Consider Living Donation
Living donation is a crazy and wonderful act, and you might be the perfect person to donate one of your kidneys or a portion of your liver. You don’t need to be related to someone to be their living donor. There are altruistic donors, or if there’s someone you know who needs a living donor but you have different blood types, you can still donate so they can get their living donor transplant through a special program called paired exchange.
As the region’s leaders in living donation, the Penn Center for Living Donation has a staff who is committed to providing excellent care for people considering being a living kidney or a living liver donor.
Learn more about living donor qualifications and donation innovations at the Center for Living Donation
Celebrate National Blue & Green Day
On Friday, April 12, 2024, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green to raise awareness about the importance of registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor. Wear your blue and green, and help get the word out about the need for donors.
Join Team Penn Medicine at 2024 Dash for Organ Donor and Tissue Donor Awareness
On Sunday, April 28, 2024, Gift of Life Donor Program will host the annual Dash for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness — a 10,000+-person event to raise funds to support organ and tissue donation awareness and education. Please note, it is at a new location this year — The Navy Yard! Join Team Penn Medicine today and participate in the 3K walk, the 5K run, or the 10K run.
If you’re planning to attend, we want to hear from you! There’s an open call for 2024 Donor Dash Stories. Email your story (ideally 800 to 1,200 words) and picture to Denny DuPont, Manager of Communication and Outreach at the Penn Transplant Institute, at Denise.DuPont@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Share Your Donation Decision
Talk to your family and friends about your decision to be an organ donor and share your decision to inspire others! Follow the Penn Medicine Transplant Institute on Facebook to keep up with all of our Donate Life Month events and stories!