The WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance and the Center for Organ Recovery and Education encourages everyone to share the love by registering to be an organ donor this Valentine’s Day, which is also National Donor Day.
Observed every year on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, National Donor Day is an observance dedicated to spreading awareness and education about organ and tissue donation. It was started in 1998 by the United Auto Workers and is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving transplant. The WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital is West Virginia’s first and only multi-organ transplant center.
“West Virginia has one of the highest rates of kidney failure in the country, and heart disease and kidney disease are among the leading causes of death in the state,” Michael Shullo, Pharm.D., vice president of transplant services for WVU Medicine and leader of the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance, said. “I can think of no better way to show our love for our fellow Mountaineers this Valentine’s Day and National Donor Day than by registering to become an organ donor and giving someone the gift of life.”
For more information about the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance, visit WVUMedicine.org/Transplant. To register as an organ donor, visit RegisterMe.org/WVUMedicine.
