Edison Student Raises Awareness On Organ Donation, Wins Award

EDISON, NJ — An Edison student recently won the youth volunteer award from NJ Sharing Network, for her work in raising awareness about organ donation.

The Youth Volunteers of the Year Awards are presented to local high school students who raise awareness about organ and tissue donation in their schools and local communities.

Anika Bhatnagar’s connection to NJ Sharing Network’s life-saving mission is a personal one.

It began when her mother, Sarika, donated one of her kidneys to save the life of Anika’s father, Vinay.

Inspired by this act of love, Anika built a strong connection to the cause of organ donation.

She established a “Donate Life Club” at the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences.

She shared the award with Divakaran Manimaran, Founder and President of the Piscataway High School (PHS) Donate Life Club, which works to educate students and local communities about organ and tissue donation, plan volunteer events to support NJ Sharing Network, and inspire members to register as organ and tissue donors.

“Our volunteers play a critical role in our life-saving mission by strengthening our public education efforts and enabling us to better serve patients and their families,” said Alyssa D’Addio, Vice President, Hospital and Community Services.

NJ Sharing Network is a non-profit organization responsible for the recovery of donated organs and tissue in the Garden State. The organization provides hope for nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents currently waiting for a life-saving transplant, and it is part of the national recovery system for the over 100,000 people on the national waiting list.

In 2022, the number of organ donors and organs transplanted in a single year reached all-time highs. This marked the fourth consecutive year NJ Sharing Network has reported new records in the number of organ donors.

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