WVU Medicine calls for new donors in celebration of West Virginia Donor Day

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance is joining Donate Life West Virginia and the Center for Organ Recovery and Education to recognize West Virginia Donor Day on Aug. 1. The date 8/1 is symbolic because one donor has the potential to save eight lives.

The annual awareness day encourages community members to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors through education, public awareness, and outreach. More than 100,000 Americans, including 300 West Virginians, are waiting for a life-saving organ donation. However, only 36 percent of West Virginians are registered organ donors, well below the national average of about 60 percent. 

“West Virginia Donor Day reminds us that the greatest gift we can give one another is the gift of life,” Kim Meyer, WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance director, said. “I have witnessed firsthand the hope that donation brings to patients and their families. Saying yes to donation allows someone to get a second chance at life.” 

An organ donor makes a positive impact in many ways, including:

• Saving multiple lives: Hearts, lungs, livers, and intestines can replace failing organs in critically ill patients.
• Restoring health: One tissue donor can heal up to 75 people using corneas, tendons, and bones.
• Improving daily life: Kidney and pancreas transplants free patients from daily treatments like dialysis.
• Providing comfort: Donor families often find peace knowing their loved one helped others through donation. 

To register as an organ donor, visit RegisterMe.org/WVUMedicine.