Recently, Mayor Dorothy Judy proclaimed April as National Donate Life Month in Parsons. National Donate Life Month honors registered organ donors, donor families, and living donors, as well the researchers, innovators, champions, national partners, and medical professionals who work tirelessly to save and heal lives through transplantation.
According to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs), the national transplant waiting list currently numbers about 114,000 individuals, including more than 500 in West Virginia.
Another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes, and–on average–22 people die every day because the organs they need are not donated in time. By becoming an organ, tissue, and cornea donor, one individual can save and improve the lives of more than seventy-five people.
Looking on as the mayor signed the proclamation was Recorder Bruce Kolsun, father of Phillips Kolsun, an Elkins resident that received a liver transplant in October 2018.
“Organ donation saves lives – I know, because it saved my son’s life,” said Kolsun. “Registering as an organ donor is a simple way to make a huge difference in the lives of others. The Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) has lots of resources for anyone interested in becoming an organ donor. To learn more, visit www.core.org.”
