Join the celebration of Life!

The Donate Life Texas donor registry is celebrating the lifesaving commitment of 11 million Texans who have now joined the donor registry.

Since it was created in 2005, the Donate Life Texas (DLT) donor registry has been steadily growing thanks to generous Texans who understand the lifesaving difference each donor makes to the lives of those in need of a transplant.  Registering with DLT provides the legal consent for donation and is an easy and convenient way for people to make their decision to donate known after they pass away.

Building anything on this scale takes the work of multitudes of dedicated people. DLT relies on several partners who each play a critical role in making donor registration easy and convenient.

Texas Lawmakers
The donor registry was created by and remains part of Texas state statutes. Since 2005, lawmakers from all over the state have supported responsible legislation that makes donor registration simple, straightforward and convenient.  Together, Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Dist. 21)  and Rep. John Zerwas M.D. (R – Dist. 28) have championed the most donor registry-related bills.

Texas Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division
Each and every Texan who applies for or renews a state driver license or ID card is given the opportunity to register with Donate Life Texas as a donor.  This single step relies on the support of thousands of DPS employees and is responsible for roughly 85% of all donor registrations.

Donor Family Members, Transplant Recipients, Living Donors & Other Advocates
From health fairs and community events to school rooms and beyond, an army of volunteer advocates are essential to educating the public about the need for donation and the importance of registration.

Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), Eye and Tissue Banks
In Texas, 15 Donate Life Texas organizations perform the organ, eye and tissue recovery procedures. These dedicated professionals are also the ones who work closely with donor families to guide them through the process of their loved one’s donation.  LifeGift, Southwest Transplant Alliance and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance are founding members of the Donate Life Texas registry.

The Texas Transplantation Society
Each day, transplant centers across Texas are recommending increasing numbers of patients for transplants, giving these medical professionals a unique and personal perspective of the rising demand for donor organs.  The Texas Transplantation Society is a professional organization that serves as a resource and voice for the medical transplantation community statewide.  The TTS has been instrumental in developing the registry’s framework and continues to be an invaluable supporter of donor registration to this day.

11 million registered Texans is a lifesaving start.

In the first half of this year, 564 people have received organ transplants thanks to registered donors in Texas and thousands more have been given the gift of sight through cornea and ocular tissue transplants.  And, each year in the U.S., more than a million people receive donor tissue for a wide variety of medical needs ranging from orthopedic surgery to burn recovery.

Having 11 million registered Texans helps make these medical miracles possible, but we still have more to do.  With more people registered than ever before, many ask why the organ shortage continues. Unfortunately, the demand for transplants is rising faster than the number of donated organs, but not for the reasons you might think.

On the demand side, the growing prevalence of diabetes and heart disease have increased the number of people added to the transplant waiting list.  Thanks to medical advances, transplants have become far more common and have shown to be reliable treatments for more kinds of conditions than in the past.

On the donation side, very few things prevent organ donation, but how a person dies often makes donation impossible.  In fact, only about 1-2% of people die in ways that allow donation – causes such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury.  Of the 178,000+ people who passed away in Texas in 2013, only about 3,000 met the initial criteria to be considered for organ donation.  This number then drops even further if consent is denied or if the organs are not clinically viable for transplantation.

Registry Growth

Growth was slow in the registry’s early years, but a streamlined process started in 2011 and accelerated registry growth, registering nearly 9 million Texans as of September 30, 2019.

*chart data updated as of September 30, 2019

Donor registration matters!

Registering with Donate Life Texas records a person’s legal decision to be a donor so it can be known by the right people at the right time to save lives.  In the simplest terms, donor registration helps ensure that every transplantable organ can become a gift of life.

So, how can you help?

• Register!
• Talk with your friends and family about donation and encourage them to register.
• Find a Donate Life Texas Organization in your area and become a volunteer advocate.
• Make a financial gift to support the Donate Life Texas donor registry.
• Share your Donate Life Story on the Donate Life Texas website.
• When applying for or renewing your driver license or ID, tell the DPS office staff why donation is important to you.

Most of all, THANK YOU for registering to Donate Life!  Each of us is one in 11 million, but to the person waiting for a transplant, a Donor Hero is their one hope for a second chance at life.

National Blue & Green Day 2018 is Friday, April 13!

During this day, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green, hold events and fundraisers, and partner with local restaurants, malls, media, and community organizations in an effort to promote the success of organ, eye and tissue transplantation and the extreme need for registered donors.

Check out some free downloadable resources from Donate Life America to help you get started.  There are flyers, social media and web banners you can use.  You can also refer to the National Donate Life Month page for more information.

Don’t forget to show your creativity in blue & green Donate Life color and enter the Donate Life America photo contest!  Send in your best blue & green photo* to the Donate Life America Facebook page starting Friday, April 13 through April 17 at 11:59 pm (ET), in one of six categories.

Click here or see below for contest information and rules.

April is National Donate Life Month

National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003. Celebrated in April each year, NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

For the 2018 National Donate Life Month artwork, Donate Life America was inspired by the image of a rainbow and Maya Angelou’s quote, “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

Often following a storm, the presence of a rainbow provides optimism and motivates us to endure through dark times. Similarly, organ, eye and tissue donation is the bridge of comfort and hope between one family’s mourning and another’s healing — turning tragedy into renewed life. The vibrant Donate Life rainbow in the National Donate Life Month artwork rises from stormy clouds, recognizing that it takes both rain and light to create the gift of a rainbow.

Maya Angelou’s message applies to all of us, no matter our background or experiences. We all know rainbows — people that have helped carry us through life and its challenges. In turn, we may also have the opportunity to be rainbows in other people’s clouds through the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation. This April, we encourage you to reflect on the lives of those touched by donation and transplantation, and to share its prismatic effect. By registering to be a donor or considering living donation, you can change one ray of light into a spectrum of healing and compassion.

We wish you a Happy National Donate Life Month. Thank you for your efforts in educating about the cause of donation and the importance of registering your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor!

Maya Angelou™ is a trademark licensed by Caged Bird Legacy, LLC.

Read about how you can use the resources from DLA to help promote donation during National Donate Life Month – Implementation Ideas.

You can also visit DLA’s website to download the official 2018 NDLM reference materials, social media graphics, web banners and print materials – Click here!

The Donate Life Texas State Team includes the organ, eye and tissue donation organizations throughout the state.  These dedicated employees of these organizations work hard behind the scenes to ensure donations become the gift of life for those waiting and a heroic legacy for those who donate.

In celebration of their supporting role, Dignity Memorial is sponsoring a special recognition opportunity on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float.   Each organization received a certificate and commemorative rose vial to share with their team.

On December 29^th, all Donate Life Texas State Team organizations will be represented during a rose placement ceremony as donation officials place honorary Making a Difference roses on the actual float.

All of us in the donation community honor Donors as the ultimate Heroes that make lifesaving transplants possible.  It is their selfless, generous act that saves lives. Here, Donate Life Texas asked each organization to share a special moment or story from the past year to give us the chance to recognize the often-unseen men and women of the DLT State Team organizations who also Make A Difference in 2017.

GenCure

In May, families gather outside the BioBridge Global Donor Pavilion to remember loved ones during a dedication ceremony for the GenCure Legacy Garden.  This special space is a memorial to those who have died and a place for the grieving to find comfort.

During the dedication ceremony, families were invited to share stories of their late loved ones and write personal messages on stones to be placed in the Garden. While some featured Bible verses and others were adorned with drawings, they all showcased extensive love for those they commemorated.  The celebration concluded with a symbolic watering, allowing the garden to serve as a lasting tribute to the lives honored within it.

The Legacy Garden continues to be a source of connection with loved ones who have died and with others who are traveling on a grief journey.

United Tissue Resources

In 2017, donors from all over Central Texas allowed United Tissue Resources to make a difference in the lives of approximately 6,000 recipients of allograft tissue.

During the Donate Life ECHO Observance, our Community Engagement team worked with community leaders and local media, to increase awareness of the need and impact of continued donor registration in multi-cultural communities. Our “Hope for the Holidays” event, provided donor families with resources for coping with feelings of loss and loneliness during the holidays.

We move into 2018 with renewed excitement and optimism, as to how we might continue to make a difference for the families we serve!

Transplant Services Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center

TSC chose to share an event highlight as their Making a Difference moment.  Jaeda has seen a lot in her 13 years.  In just the past two years, she has lost two brothers, both of whom became donors.  This year, Jaeda spoke before a gathering of hundreds of donor family members about her love for them and what their legacy of life has meant to her.

Wise and poised beyond her years, she said: “Hi, my name is Jaeda and today I’m going to tell you about my brothers.  Ruben was 17 when he passed away; he loved football.  Ethan was 14 when he passed away and he loved horseback riding.  They were the best brothers!  I will always have them in my heart”

San Antonio Eye Bank

SAEB appreciates the opportunity to represent our community, donor families, recipients, partnering surgeons and staff on the 2018 Donate Life Float. We hope that as South and Central Texas cornea donor families view the float on parade day, they know that the Gift of Sight was made possible thanks to their loved one’s donations.

Southwest Transplant Alliance

Moved by the experience of losing her son Braxton, Melissa Howell has become a volunteer and donation advocate through Southwest Transplant Alliance.

To help others better understand the support offered to donor families, Melissa has worked with STA to record a video about her family’s experience.  This touching piece demonstrates the hope donation can bring in a family’s darkest hour by creating a lifesaving legacy.

LifeGift

Originally named the Gulf Coast Independent Organ Procurement Organization, LifeGift has evolved over three decades to serve the needs of the Texas donation and transplant community.  LifeGift has celebrated many firsts and several notable accomplishments in that time.

Read more on the LifeGift website.

Join the celebration of Our Major Milestone!

That’s right! The Donate Life Texas donor registry is celebrating the lifesaving commitment of 10 million Texans who have now joined the donor registry.

Since it was created in 2005, the Donate Life Texas (DLT) donor registry has been steadily growing thanks to generous Texans who understand the lifesaving difference each donor makes to the lives of those in need of a transplant.  Registering with DLT provides the legal consent for donation and is an easy and convenient way for people to make their decision to donate known after they pass away.

Building anything on this scale takes the work of multitudes of dedicated people. DLT relies several partners who each play a critical role in making donor registration easy and convenient.

Texas Lawmakers
The donor registry was created by and remains part of Texas state statutes. Since 2005, lawmakers from all over the state have supported responsible legislation that makes donor registration simple, straightforward and convenient.  Together, Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Dist. 21)  and Rep. John Zerwas M.D. (R – Dist. 28) have championed the most donor registry-related bills.

Texas Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division
Each and every Texan who applies for or renews a state driver license or ID card is given the opportunity to register with Donate Life Texas as a donor.  This single step relies on the support of thousands of DPS employees and is responsible for roughly 85% of all donor registrations.

Donor Family Members, Transplant Recipients, Living Donors & Other Advocates
From health fairs and community events to school rooms and beyond, an army of volunteer advocates are essential to educating the public about the need for donation and the importance of registration.

Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), Eye and Tissue Banks
In Texas, 16 Donate Life Texas organizations perform the organ, eye and tissue recovery procedures. These dedicated professionals are also the ones who work closely with donor families to guide them through the process of their loved one’s donation.  LifeGift, Southwest Transplant Alliance and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance are founding members of the Donate Life Texas registry.

The Texas Transplantation Society
Each day, transplant centers across Texas are recommending increasing numbers of patients for transplants, giving these medical professionals a unique and personal perspective of the rising demand for donor organs.  The Texas Transplantation Society is a professional organization that serves as a resource and voice for the medical transplantation community statewide.  The TTS has been instrumental in developing the registry’s framework and continues to be an invaluable supporter of donor registration to this day.

10 million registered Texans is a lifesaving start.

In the first half of this year, 625 people have received organ transplants thanks to registered donors in Texas and thousands more have been given the gift of sight through cornea and ocular tissue transplants.  And, each year in the U.S., more than a million people receive donor tissue for a wide variety of medical needs ranging from orthopedic surgery to burn recovery.

Having 10 million registered Texans helps make these medical miracles possible, but we still have more to do.  With more people registered than ever before, many ask why the organ shortage continues. Unfortunately, the demand for transplants is rising faster than the number of donated organs, but not for the reasons you might think.

On the demand side, the growing prevalence of diabetes and heart disease have increased the number of people added to the transplant waiting list.  Thanks to medical advances, transplants have become far more common and have shown to be reliable treatments for more kinds of conditions than in the past.

On the donation side, very few things prevent organ donation, but how a person dies often makes donation impossible.  In fact, only about 1-2% of people die in ways that allow donation – causes such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury.  Of the 178,000+ people who passed away in Texas in 2013, only about 3,000 met the initial criteria to be considered for organ donation.  This number then drops even further if consent is denied or if the organs are not clinically viable for transplantation.

Donor registration matters!

Registering with Donate Life Texas records a person’s legal decision to be a donor so it can be known by the right people at the right time to save lives.  In the simplest terms, donor registration helps ensure that every transplantable organ can become a gift of life.

So, how can you help?

• Register!
• Talk with your friends and family about donation and encourage them to register.
• Find a Donate Life Texas Organization in your area and become a volunteer advocate.
• Make a financial gift to support the Donate Life Texas donor registry.
• Share your Donate Life Story on the Donate Life Texas website.
• When applying for or renewing your driver license or ID, tell the DPS office staff why donation is important to you.

Most of all, THANK YOU for registering to Donate Life!  Each of us are one in 10 million, but to the person waiting for a transplant, a Donor Hero is their one hope for a second chance at life.

On Sunday 11/5, NASCAR driver and Donate Life advocate Joey Gase took to the track at Texas Motor Speedway for the AAA Texas 500 Monster Energy Cup Series race.  Gase’s Donate Life Texas #7 car featured photographs of 21 Donate Life Honorees – people whose lives have been personally touched by donation.  During the car’s unveiling event, each Honorees also applied painted handprints to the hood and trunk of the car as part of what has become a Gase tradition called “Handprints of Hope.”

Gase has partnered with Donate Life Texas since 2015 in an effort to increase organ and tissue donation awareness.  As the son of an organ and tissue donor and as a professional athlete, Gase has an ability to speak about the importance of registration in a personally compelling way to race fans in Texas and beyond.

For the more than 120,000 people currently awaiting an organ transplant in the U.S., this race was about more than to roar of the engines, it’s about hope. Each NASCAR fan inspired by Joey and the call to Donate Life brings us one step closer to a day when no one must wait for the transplant they need to survive.

Scroll down to enjoy photos, video and news coverage.

Donate Life Texas #7 Honorees, Fall 2017

Check out Donate Life Texas #7 in for a Pit Stop while the race was under a caution flag.

Enjoy news coverage of the unveiling event at Joshua High School, held on 11/2/17:

• WFAA – Channel 8
• Cleburne Times Review
• Rockwall County Herald

Donate Life Texas gives special thanks to the staff and volunteers of LifeGift and Southwest Transplant Alliance for support essential to making this event possible.  Event photos by Ralph Lauer.

Donate Life Texas invites you to join in celebrating the National Donor Sabbath this November 10-12.  This national observance is a time for people of all religions to honor those who have given the precious gift of organ, eye and tissue donation. Every year during this special time, donation and transplant organizations work closely with faith communities to bring the message of donation to congregations nationwide.

Faith plays a significant role in the decision to register as a donor. All major religions support organ, eye and tissue donation, and believe it to be a final act of kindness and generosity. Many faith leaders focus on the gifts of hope passed to others by supporting donation and transplantation. Professionals in the health care community bring awareness to all worship groups across the nation.

While religions differ in many ways, the commonality among all of them is the sharing of positive, inspiring messages that instill hope.   The National Donor Sabbath provides an opportunity for faith communities to share their views and join in the conversation.

We invite you to share the resources below to carry the message of faith, hope and the blessing of donation.

Download these National Donor Sabbath graphics to post to your own social media or share with your house of worship for their website or social media.  Additional resources are available through Donate Life America.

• Printable National Donor Sabbath Flier