It's National Donate Life Month! Are you a donor?

This April, Methodist Dallas Medical Center celebrates the 50th Anniversary of National Donate Life Month. In 2010, President Obama made this proclamation to bring awareness to the organ donor program as well as to honor those that have passed their organs on, giving others the opportunity for a healthy life. Here in Dallas, The Liver Institute at Methodist Dallas hopes to further educate the community about the importance of and what it takes to become an organ donor, and provide awareness on their highly successful, fully comprehensive organ transplant program.

Many people across the country are unsure if they are able, or even want, to become an organ donor. Educating the nation about the process and raising awareness is the first step toward expanding the quality of life for an unlimited number of donor recipients. Methodist Dallas Medical Center has plans to aid in spreading the word and to highlight their Transplant Program, including services provided by The Liver Institute, where doctors and surgeons have made remarkable strides in ensuring successful outcomes for liver transplants, pancreas transplants and kidney transplants throughout the Dallas Metroplex and North Texas.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about organ donation:

• What is the importance of raising additional awareness about organ donation?
  According to the U.S. Government of Health & Human Services, each day on average, 79 people
  receive an organ transplant. In spite of this, an average of 21 people will die each day while
  waiting for a life-saving organ that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated
  organs. While you are reading this and contemplating becoming an organ donor, someone has been placed on the waiting list. It happens every 10 minutes.

• Can anyone be a donor?
  Yes! Regardless of age, health conditions, medical history, past transplants or ethnicity, everyone has something to offer when it comes to organ donation.

• How many people can I alone help through organ donation?
  A single donor can save up to eight lives and assist up to 50 more people through tissue donation.

Stay informed on how you can save a life! Are you or someone you know currently an organ donor? Have you taken all the necessary steps to ensure that your organs are passed on to others in a critical time of need? Many people believe they are a registered organ donor by simply indicating it on their driver’s license. Unfortunately, during the crucial moments while the medical staff is trying desperately to save YOUR life, that small detail may be overlooked. In addition to listing organ donation on your license, please be sure to take these small steps to ensure that your wishes are carried out in a timely manner:

• Register with the Donate Life Registry online at www.DonateLifeTexas.org.

• When you renew your license, be sure to register with the Glenda Dawson Donate Life– Texas Registry. In doing so, the Department of Public Safety will then pass along all pertinent information including name, date of birth and driver’s license number to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

• Inform close family and friends of your wishes now. In the event of your death, their communication with medical staff could impact how quickly your wishes are carried out.

If you or someone you know would like additional information about the Methodist Dallas Medical Center Transplant Program, please call 214-947-1800.

Learn more about our transplant success stories and how these patients are living better lives thanks to individuals willing to donate life.