Instituted by Donate Life America, National Donate Life Month (NDLM) is observed each year in April, featuring an entire month of local, regional and national activities with one common goal – to encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor the heroes who have saved lives through the gift of donation. For the 2019 National Donate Life Month campaign, Donate Life America was inspired by bicycles and the phrase, “Life is a beautiful ride.” Like the donation and transplantation journey, a bicycle serves as a symbol of progress, renewal and the moving circle of life.
Learn the Facts
Donation and Transplantation by The Numbers (OPTN)
- Over 113,000 men, women and children currently await lifesaving organ transplants.
- About 58 percent of patients awaiting lifesaving transplants represent minority
communities. - A new name is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.
- Unfortunately, 8,000 people die each year (an average of 22 people each day) because they
do not receive a transplant in time. - 80 percent of patients on the national transplant waiting list are waiting for a kidney. The
average wait time for a kidney from a deceased donor is 3 to 5 years. A kidney from a living
donor offers patients an alternative to years of dialysis and time on the national transplant
waiting list. (The living donor’s remaining kidney will enlarge, doing the work of two
healthy kidneys.) - 12 percent of those waiting are in need of a liver. Living donation of a partial liver is
an option that can help these patients. (The remaining portion of the donor liver will
regenerate and regain full function.) - Nearly one-third of all deceased donors are age 50 or older. More than 7 percent are age 65
or older.
Gear Up!
National Donate Life Blue & Green Day is April 12, 2019
Show your support by wearing blue and green to promote awareness of the lifesaving benefits
of organ, eye and tissue donation, and the significant need for more registered donors. Visit
www.donatelife.net/blue-green-day for graphics, resources and celebration ideas.
A National Call to Action
While 95 percent of the U.S. adult population supports organ, eye and tissue donation,
only about 58 percent (or approximately 138 million people) have actually registered their
decision. We each carry the potential to help make LIFE a beautiful ride for ourselves, and
then for others, by registering as a donor, considering living donation, being a caregiver and
championing the cause.
To register your decision to save and heal lives, visit RegisterMe.org.
To learn more about organ, eye, tissue and living donation, visit DonateLife.net.
