Gift of Life Michigan helped a record 463 people become organ donors and 1,821 give the gift of tissue last year, saving thousands of lives and healing tens of thousands more.
The 2022 figures represent a significant 14% increase in tissue donors over the previous record in 2019 and an 8% increase in organ donors over 2021.
“This is a testament to the dedication of our hard-working staff, our hospital partners and, of course, our selfless donors and their families – they are the true heroes,” said Dorrie Dils, President and CEO of Gift of Life Michigan. “It is inspiring to see so many people choose this final act to save and help heal the lives of people they never met.”
Dils said Gift of Life is working on several initiatives to further improve the organ and tissue donation and transplantation system. Among them: Investing in new technology, advocating for required education about donation in public high schools, encouraging family doctors to share information about donation and creating more equity in the healthcare system.
“Our successes drive us to do even better,” said Dils. “Our ultimate goal is that no one will die while waiting for a life-saving transplant. We have shown that by working with our hospital and transplant partners and focusing on our mission to honor life through donation, we can save even more lives.”
As of Jan. 1, 2,517 patients were waiting for organ transplants in Michigan, with more than 100,000 waiting nationwide. Seventeen people die every day waiting for a life-saving transplant in the U.S., and someone is added to the national list, on average, every 9 minutes.
For more information or to sign up as a donor, visit golm.org/register.
