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Donate Life month: speaker urges Zion residents to register as organ and tissue donors
Summary
On April 15 Debbie Ramsey, representing the National Kidney Foundation and Donate Life initiatives, told the council that organ and tissue donation can save lives and urged residents to take information from the display table after the meeting.
Debbie Ramsey addressed the Zion City Council on April 15 during a special presentation for National Donate Life Month, describing the range of organs and tissues that can be donated and sharing personal connections to transplantation.
"A person can save eight lives and heal up to 75 people as a tissue donor," Ramsey said, stressing that tissue donations can include corneas, skin, bone and soft tissues and that organ donation can provide life-saving transplants such as kidneys, livers and hearts.
Ramsey cited national figures in her remarks: she said more than 2,100 children under age 18 are on the transplant waiting list and that about 1,900 children received transplants in 2023. She also described advances including face and hand transplants and recounted personal family stories of transplant recipients and donors.
Ramsey invited council members and residents to take informational materials from the table at the meeting and said additional materials, including pens and pins, were available for attendees.
Why it matters: Organ and tissue donation affects waiting lists, transplant outcomes and community awareness; presentations like this aim to increase registration and public understanding of donation options.
