Gift of Life Donor Program

PA Donor Day is observed on August 1 (8/1) to represent the eight lives one organ donor can save. It’s another opportunity to raise awareness for the life-saving power of organ donation and transplantation and encourage everyone to sign up to become a donor. Gift of Life Donor Program is proud to work with dedicated hospital partners as we strive for the day when no one dies waiting for a life-saving transplant. Thank you to Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, St. Luke's University Health Network and Commonwealth Health - Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for promoting PA Donor Day. PA Donor Day also kicked off National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM), which is held each August to celebrate organ donation and transplantation in communities of color and promote healthy living to decrease the need for transplantation. Learn more about NMDAM: https://lnkd.in/eU7N8c5U To honor Gift of Life’s 50 years of saving lives, help us register 50,000 more organ donors and provide hope to the thousands waiting for transplant. Sign up at www.donors1.org/register

National Minority Donor Awareness Month highlights the importance of organ donation and transplantation in multicultural communities.   People of color make up more than half of the 100,000+ people on the national transplant waitlist.   As a heart recipient and member of Gift of Life’s Community Advisory Board, Earl Jones is keenly aware of the importance of education and advocacy when it comes to organ donation. Earl, 58, is celebrating 22 years since his life-saving heart transplant. He was born with a genetic heart defect called transposition of the great vessels that went undetected until he was 12 years old; he never thought it would lead to the need for a new heart.   “I had a normal upbringing, everything my friends were able to do, I was able to do: ride bikes, skate, play sports,” he said. All of that changed in 1995, when he was 30.   Persistent coughing and an emergency room visit revealed to Earl and his family that he was in congestive heart failure.   “When I got my transplant years later, my daughter was 10 and my son was 15. Since my transplant, I've had the chance to see them grow into adulthood and become parents,” said Earl.   He waited about two months in the hospital before receiving the gift of life from his donor hero, a 22-year-old man. Earl is a passionate Gift of Life ambassador: “I think after all these years, I’ve finally found my life's mission and my life's purpose. I'm living testimony to the power of transplantation."   You can help save the lives of people like Earl. In honor of Gift of Life’s 50 years of saving lives, help us register 50,000 more organ donors! Go to donors1.org to register and share this post.   #GiftofLife50 #50Fridays

Time is running out to sign up for the 20th Annual Kidney Open Golf Outing. There's less than two weeks until we tee off in support of Gift of Life Howie's House. This year's Open is Monday, August 19 at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware. All proceeds will benefit the House’s Adopt-A-Family Program, which keeps the room fee low and supports families who cannot afford the nightly fee. Golf spots and sponsorships are still available! Register now: https://ow.ly/HWr150Sbbeu

From Athens, Greece in 1982 to Birmingham, Ala. in 2024, athletes from Gift of Life’s region have shared the power of donation and transplantation by competing in sports on a national and international level. This July, the weather was hot but Team Philly was even hotter, bringing home 125 medals — 70 of them gold — from the 2024 Transplant Games of America. With more than 140 members ages eight to 77, Team Philly was the largest traveling team at the Games. Many of our winning athletes dedicate their gold, silver and bronze medals to their donor heroes and generous donor families who gave them a second chance to live a healthy, active life. For donor families who are part of Team Philly, the Games are inspiring and healing. The Games are a celebration of life we can all support by using our power to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation. Everyone has the potential to save up to eight lives as an organ donor and heal up to 100 lives through tissue donation, regardless of age, health or medical history. Join Gift of Life’s campaign to sign up 50,000 more organ donors to honor our 50 years of saving lives. Each registered donor provides hope to the thousands of children and adults on the transplant waitlist. Sign up to become a donor today at www.donors1.org/register #GiftofLife50 #50Fridays

August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM) – a collaborative effort to save & improve the quality of life of diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye & tissue donation. Why is NMDAM needed? 60% of national transplant waiting list patients are from multicultural communities. The need for donation and transplant is more pronounced in minority communities where disproportionately higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease contribute to organ failure, especially kidney failure. Honor Gift of Life's 50 years of saving lives by helping us register 50,000 more organ donors. Together, we can provide hope to the thousands waiting for transplant. Sign up and learn more about NMDAM at www.donors1.org/nmdam 💙💚 #DonateLife #NMDAM2024 #Gift of Life

PA Donor Day is here! We are celebrating on 8/1 because 8 lives can be saved by just 1 organ donor. 💙💚 Spread the word and celebrate Donor Day with us by registering your decision to become an organ donor at https://lnkd.in/ehVq_6NB

Gift of Life Donor Program’s world-class team works side-by-side with our dedicated hospital partners to provide the opportunity for families to create a heroic legacy of saving lives through organ donation for their loved one. We are proud to lead the Kidney Collaborative Regional Task Force, an initiative aimed at increasing the number of kidney donors and transplants. The kidney is the most needed organ, with more than 4,000 people in our region waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant. Gift of Life recently hosted a Task Force meeting with partners Temple Health – Temple University Health System, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Presbyterian and HUP) and Jefferson Health – Einstein. Attendees heard the inspiring story of Brianna, a bright student with a passion for music who recently received the gift of life thanks to her committed healthcare team and a generous donor family. We thank the critical care staff for their attendance and continued dedication to the Task Force. Watch Brianna’s story: https://lnkd.in/gK_4jgrM To honor Gift of Life’s 50 years of saving lives, help us register 50,000 more organ donors and provide hope to the thousands waiting for transplant. Sign up at www.donors1.org/register

The Summer Olympics are underway, and we are cheering on Team USA and all the outstanding athletes! Just like the Americans, Team Philadelphia racked up the medals this summer at the Transplant Games of America. The final tally was 125, including 70 golds. The Games is an Olympic-style competition that highlights transplant success and the life-saving power of organ and tissue donation. Transplant recipients and living donors compete for medals, cheered on by the donor families who make it all possible. #TeamPhilly was the largest traveling team, and this summer’s competition was even more special as Gift of Life is recognizing 50 years of life-saving impact in the community. To honor Gift of Life’s 50 years of saving lives, help us sign up 50,000 more organ donors. Together, we can provide hope to the thousands waiting for transplant. Sign up at www.donors1.org/register

PA Donor Day will be celebrated on August 1, which is also the start of National Minority Donor Awareness Month, which encourages organ donor registration and promotes healthy living to decrease the need for transplantation. We’re highlighting Debra White Roberts, who is working to raise awareness of the need for minority donors in honor of daughter, Melika Rose. From receiving a life-saving transplant when she was a child, to becoming a donor at just 19, Melika’s journey shows the importance of minority donors. Learn more about NMDAM: www.donors1.org/nmdam

This Friday, we honor the global, life-saving impact of Gift of Life Institute, which is the education and research division of Gift of Life Transplant Foundation, our non-profit charitable organization. The Institute is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — an achievement built on the expertise of its world-class instructors, the dedication of staff, and participation of more than 14,000 donation professionals from over 39 countries. “In 2004, our aim was to increase organ and tissue rates worldwide through education on the core principles of successful donation practices, including hospital development, death after cardiac/circulatory death, and conducting the family donation conversation,” said Theresa A. Daly, Senior Director of Gift of Life Institute. “Twenty years later, we continue to train on these foundational elements, while advancing donation rates through such innovative programs as ‘The Art and Science of Leadership: Driving Results for Donation and Transplantation Professionals,’ ‘Determination of Brain Death and Family Communication Physician Training Program,’ and ‘Reaching Across Cultures.’” The Institute has worked with every organ procurement organization (OPO) in the U.S, as well as many tissue banks, and has facilitated more than 600 workshops. Thank you and congratulations to our colleagues at the Gift of Life Institute for your extraordinary work to help save lives around the world. You can help save more lives by sharing our goal to register 50,000 more organ donors! Go to donors1.org to register and share this post reminding others to register to be a donor hero! Learn more and sign up at www.donors1.org/register #GiftofLife50 #50Fridays