Register as a Donor
Giving the Gift that Lives: 3rd Annual "Celebration of Life"
Houston, Texas (April 7, 2011) -- It is not every day when transplant recipients, donor families and those who are waiting for a second chance at life can be found at the same place unless they are celebrating. This is exactly what happened earlier today as transplant recipients, donor families and those on the waiting list gathered for LifeGift’s 3rd annual “Celebration of Life” in the Texas Medical Center.
“Today was about sharing with everyone how grateful I am to be alive. I owe everything to my donor and his family. They are my heroes,” said David Schoolcraft, heart transplant recipient. “Without donation, I would not be here today.” Schoolcraft received the gift of life when he received a heart transplant a little more than a year ago. Schoolcraft was among a group of recipients who shared their stories of hope and inspiration so that others may be moved to register as new donors.
Nationally, there are more than 110,000 men, women and children waiting for a lifesaving transplant. In Texas alone, there are nearly 11,000 are waiting and 2,784 waiting within the Texas Medical Center. Texas, although one of the most populous states in the country, ranks last in terms of number of registered donors when compared to other states.
This celebration comes as the medical community marked the start of National Donate Life Month, which began on April 1. The “Celebration of Life” was part of the many activities LifeGift has planned to raise awareness of donation throughout the month. The designation is a time to focus attention on the importance of registering organ and tissue donors via the Donate Life Texas Registry (www.donatelifetexas.org.) Named for a kidney recipient and Texas legislator, the Glenda P. Dawson Donate Life - Texas Registry is the official database of Texans who consent to be organ and tissue donors upon their deaths.
While the Glenda P. Dawson Donate Life Texas Registry is gaining momentum and numbers have improved dramatically, less than 10 percent of Texans over the age of 18 are registered. Registering to become an organ, eye and tissue donor is simple. It’s free and it takes less than five minutes. There are three easy ways to register:
- Electronically via www.donatelifetexas.org.
- In person at the Department of Public Safety Office (DPS) or the DPS website.
- Online with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when renewing vehicle registration.
For more information about LifeGift and the registry, visit www.lifegift.org. For more information about the Texas Medical Center, visit www.tmc.edu.
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About LifeGift
LifeGift is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization dedicated to recovering organs and tissue for individuals needing transplants in 109 Texas counties in North Texas, Southeast Texas and West Texas. For more information, go to www.lifegift.org or 1-800-633-6562.
About the Texas Medical Center
Founded in 1945, Texas Medical Center has grown to become the largest medical complex in the world. It is composed of 49 institutions, all of which are self-governing. Half are agencies of government: federal, state, county, city and local and the other half are private not-for-profit institutions, several of which are large health care systems. The goal of the Texas Medical Center institutions is to improve the health status of people everywhere through research, education and patient care.
Texas Medical Center, the corporation, encourages collaboration among institutions and provides many services to what has become the 12th largest business district in the United States with over 45 million square feet of built space. Former First Lady Barbara Bush has recognized the Texas Medical Center as "Houston's gift to the World". For more information, visit www.tmc.edu.
