Sign-Up On The New Online Donor Registry

Exciting news! North Carolina's new online registry is available. Sign up today by visiting https://www.donatelifenc.org/becomeadonor/.

Good News! Online Donor Registry Appears Successful

The thousands of people on the waiting list for life-saving transplants had a special reason for celebrating National Donate Life Month this year -- 107,795 people registered to be organ donors in North Carolina during the month of April. Compared to April 2007, 11,660 more drivers said yes to organ donation this year.

Although the online registry has begun to increase donors, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is still responsible for signing up the majority of organ donors through the sheer volume of people who visit the DMV every day. At the DMV alone, 50.4% of North Carolina drivers said yes to organ donation, adding 10,408 more people to the registry in North Carolina.

Approximately 3,000 North Carolina residents are awaiting live-saving organ transplants. It's not too late to sign-up. Visit www.verybigheart.com to register online. It's quick, easy and your privacy is protected.

U.S. Transplant Games Scheduled For July

When the opening ceremony for U.S. Transplant Games opens next month, 27 transplants recipients and six donor families will be in the parade. That includes several children, including four from the Charlotte area and the Mountains.

In addition to the Olympic-style competition, a Donor Recognition Ceremony and series of workshops is scheduled for the family members of organ donors, the real heroes of the transplant equation. Anita Erwin's family will represent LifeShare this year.

She said, "My husband and I are very honored to have been chosen to represent donor families from our area at the 2008 Transplant games. My son Michael, an organ donor, was a swimmer on his high school swim team, so it will be especially exciting for us to see transplant recipients competing in the swimming events. We are looking forward to meeting other donor family members from across the US and sharing our stories."

Team North Carolina is one of 50 state and regional teams competing in the 2008 U.S. Transplant Games which will be held in Pittsburg. Sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation, it is described as the world's largest-ever gathering of transplant recipients.

Promote Organ Donation At Work!

LifeShare Of The Carolinas is pleased to invite all hospitals, corporations, businesses and organizations to join our Very Big Heart workplace campaign, an initiative of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This program was developed with funds from the Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life program, the annual bike ride that benefits LifeShare's public education programs.

To date, more than 11,000 organizations nationwide have joined in a Workplace Partnership for organ donation, including 345 in southwestern North Carolina. This year, LifeShare Of The Carolinas is pleased to make donation even easier for business associates and their families to register as organ, eye and tissue donors online or to get more information on the process around-the-clock.

For more information, on the WorkPlace Initiative, click on the icon on the menu bar above, or click here.