Register as a Donor
State's organ and tissue registry reaches major milestone
AUSTIN, TX (AUG. 19, 2010) -- The state's organ and tissue donor registry has officially registered one million donors today.
Over the past eight months, the number of Texans registered with the Glenda P. Dawson Donate Life-Texas Registry (Registry) has appreciably increased. Texas' three organ and tissue recovery agencies, LifeGift, Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA), along with its partner agencies -- the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) -- attribute this milestone to Texans' generosity and awareness of the need to help others get a second chance at life. The Registry is the state database of individuals who have officially indicated their decisions to donate organs, eyes and tissue, to benefit thousands of people of all ages currently awaiting transplants.
"This is a significant milestone in the history of the Donate Life Texas Registry, and indicates that Texans understand the critical need for organ and tissue donors," said Senator Judith Zaffirini, whose legislation implemented the Registry. "The one million Texans participating in the state registry have consented to help others through the gift of organ, tissue and eye donation."
Texans can enroll in the Registry electronically via www.donatelifetexas.org or www.donevidatexas.org. Alternatively, they can register at their local Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) when applying for or renewing a driver's license or identification card or online when renewing a license or registering a vehicle through the DMV, formerly TxDot.
"Those who have registered as organ donors provide hope to more than 10,000 Texans currently awaiting a transplant," said Sam Holtzman, president and CEO of LifeGift. "We are encouraged by the increased willingness of Texans to register. With the growing need for organs and tissue, our goal is to save the greatest possible number of lives. And more registered donors equal more lives saved."
While reaching the one million mark on the Donate Life Texas Registry is significant, the state must continue to make progress and encourage more residents to register as donors.
"Many Texans may think they are registered as donors when they renewed or obtained their drivers' licenses several years ago," said Laura Frnka, spokesperson for LifeGift. "Due to the changes in the state law and the registration process, most Texans probably are not registered unless they renewed a license since September 2006 when the Registry was implemented. We encourage everyone who wants to be a donor to verify registration by visiting http://www.donatelifetexas.org."
Some Texans may be hesitant to register due to common myths about donation, which include:
- Myth: If someone is in an accident and the hospital knows that he/she is an organ donor, the doctors will not try as hard to save his/her life. FACT: Organ and tissue recovery take place only after all efforts to save a life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared. Medical teams and organ procurement organizations are separate in their roles and functions.
- Myth: Donation prevents a funeral. FACT: Donated organs and tissue are removed surgically, in a routine operation similar to open-heart surgery. Donation does not prevent an open casket funeral or viewing.
The Registry was implemented in 2006, after Texas lawmakers called for the creation of a way for Texans to officially declare their decision to be donors. In 2007, the Texas Legislature named the registry the Glenda P. Dawson Donate Life - Texas Registry, in memory of a State Representative, Glenda Dawson, a kidney transplant recipient who led the effort for the Registry's creation.
For more information on the Donate Life Texas Registry, visit www.donatelifetexas.org. For more information about LifeGift, visit www.lifegift.org.
