Summer is often a time of celebration. Kids are out of school, some families are planning vacations, and holidays abound. This is also a special time for the donation and transplant community, as we celebrate National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM). This national observance is celebrated throughout the month of August as a time to bring awareness to the need to increase organ, eye, and tissue donors from multicultural communities.
Across the United States, there are many more people waiting for an organ transplant than there are organs available. Of the nearly 10,000 Texans waiting for a lifesaving transplant, 40% are Hispanic and 25% are Black. National Minority Donor Awareness Month is focused on providing education, encouraging donor registration, and sharing inspiring stories of those who have given and received the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation. It is also a time to encourage family conversations about donation and promote healthy living to decrease the need for transplantation.
Donation is a gift that offers hope and healing to thousands of people each year. One donor can save eight lives through organ donation, heal over 75 people through tissue donation, and restore sight to two people through cornea donation.
We invite you to join us as we raise “One Voice, One Vision to Save and Heal Lives.”
Here are ways you can help:
- Register as a donor at DonateLifeTexas.org/SouthTexasBlood
- After you register, discuss your decision to become a donor with your family
- Contact South Texas Blood & Tissue if you would like to collaborate to do a National Minority Donor Awareness Month event in August.
