Gift of Hope highlights National Minority Donor Awareness Month; transplant recipient urges organ‑donor registration

Rose, a representative of Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, told the Community Coalition that August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month and asked attendees to register as organ donors and learn the facts about donation. Jim McFarland, a transplant recipient introduced by Rose, described receiving a kidney 14 years ago and urged people — particularly members of minority communities — to register as donors and tell their families about their wishes. “There are 4,000 people in Illinois who need an organ desperately,” McFarland said, adding that “a hundred thousand or more” need organs nationwide. Why it matters: Gift of Hope coordinates donation and transplant logistics in its service area and provides family support through the process; speakers framed donor registration as a way to save lives and reduce lengthy, debilitating treatments such as dialysis. How to act: Rose said flyers and pens were available at the meeting back table and asked attendees to register as donors when renewing a driver’s license or through the organization’s resources.