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Illinois, northwest Indiana residents urged to ‘Say Yes!’ to organ, tissue, eye donation during National Donate Life Month

ITASCA, Ill. – Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, hospitals, advocates, communities organizing to honor donors and families, and inspire 30,000 new donor registrations in April

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network joins communities across America, including throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana, to honor donors and their families and encourage attention to organ, eye and tissue donation during National Donate Life Month in April. The goal is to inspire 30,000 people in Illinois and northwest Indiana to “Say Yes” to donation and register their decisions to be organ, eye and tissue donors.

Hospitals, businesses, funeral homes and other institutions are joining Gift of Hope to host campaigns, donor registration drives, flag-raising ceremonies and programs throughout the region during April to honor the gifts of donors and their families and promote life-giving donation.

Iconic landmarks and buildings that will “Light It Up Purple” to show their support for organ and tissue donation include Chicago’s internationally recognized Willis Tower and Navy Pier’s Centennial Wheel, as well as the Murray Baker Bridge in Peoria and Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockford. Individuals, businesses and organizations show their support by shining purple light in windows, doors, office buildings and outdoor spaces.

Everyone is encouraged to share support for organ and tissue donation and transplantation on social media using #SayYestoDonation and tagging @GiftofHope—and most importantly encouraging followers to learn more and “Say Yes” to donation by visiting www.giftofhope.org.

“Illinois and northwest Indiana, the region that Gift of Hope serves, is among the nation’s top regions for life-giving organ and tissue donation,” said Gift of Hope President/CEO Harry Wilkins, MD. “This is due to the individuals and families we have the privilege to work with and support as they compassionately say yes to organ, eye and tissue donation. The hospitals, coroners, funeral homes and hundreds of other public and private partners we work with are also to be recognized for their important work with us to honor the wishes of those who decide to donate, and ultimately provide the gift of life and hope to so many in desperate need of organ or tissue transplants.”

In 2022, Gift of Hope announced record levels of life-saving organ donation in its service area for a third consecutive year, with 526 individuals and their families making 1,418 life-saving organ transplants possible and nearly 2,000 people donating bone, skin and other tissue. But with more than 104,000 people still waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, the need for more organ, eye and tissue donors remains critical, including in Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Learn more National Donate Life Month and the campaign at www.giftofhope.org/donatelifemonth.