Gift of Hope Honors Donors During National Donate Life Month

(Itasca, Ill. April 1, 2019) – Last year, more than 460 organ donors and nearly 3,000 tissue donors offered the gift of hope to thousands of people in need of life-changing organ and tissue transplants. April’s National Donate Life Month is a special time to honor those donors and their families that said yes to donation.

While it’s clear that organ and tissue donation can benefit the more than 4,000 Illinoisans currently waiting for lifesaving transplants, people often forget that organ and tissue donation also benefits donor families.

“We want to be able to offer the gift of donation to every family so they can also receive the benefits organ and tissue donation brings,” said Kevin Cmunt, President/CEO of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. “When a loved one dies, organ and tissue donation allows for that person’s legacy to continue — rewriting the ending for that donor and their family.”

Gift of Hope works with 180 hospitals in Illinois and northwest Indiana to honor organ and tissue donors and transplant recipients during this month-long celebration. In collaboration with Gift of Hope, hospitals across the state will be doing their part to raise public awareness of organ and tissue donation and the critical need for donors.

“At Gift of Hope, we honor and celebrate the life and legacy of organ and tissue donors all year long,” said Cmunt. “National Donate Life Month serves as a reminder to tell your families and loved ones about your decision to donate. This special time brings the community together to discover how donation benefits every family.”

Learn more about organ donation and register to be a donor in Illinois at lifegoeson.org and giftofhope.org or visit any driver services facility in Illinois.

About Gift of Hope

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization entrusted by the nation’s health care system with coordinating organ and tissue donation and providing donor family services and public education in Illinois and northwest Indiana. Gift of Hope works with 180 hospitals and serves 12 million residents in its donation service area. Gift of Hope has coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 25,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. For more information about Gift of Hope and organ and tissue donation, visit giftofhope.org.