February Plays Host to National Donor Week

   If giving hallmark cards, heart shaped candies and flowers are not an option on Valentine's Day, donating organs is another way of giving.

National Organ Donor Day is on Feb. 14th and to celebrate it all you need to do is become a donor.

   The holiday started in 1998 by the Saturn Corporation with partnership of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

   A 2011 Press Release written by Kris Patterson, spokesperson for DonateLifeAZ, said that Arizonans saved more lives through organ donation making it a total of 168 Arizonans who donated organs and saved 477 lives.

   Tissue donations also surpassed the highest number previously set with more than 1,150 people donating tissue, while more than 900 people donated corneas.

These donations gave mobility and sight to thousands.

   "Arizonans gave life and healing to others in record numbers in 2011," Tim Brown, CEO of Donor Network of Arizona, said.

   Donor Network of Arizona is a federally designated, nonprofit organ recovery organization in the state.

   "We now call on everyone in Arizona who wants to save people like those who compassionately gave last year to show their support by registering as organ, cornea and tissue donor," Brown said.

   More than 1.8 million people are registered as donors in Arizona, with more than 100 million people registered in the U.S. Donate Life America, the national organization promoting organ, cornea and tissue donation, just launched this year's new campaign to register "20 Million in 2012."

   The '20 Million in 2012' is a campaign to increase the number of donors for this year, hoping that if the increase works, an incentive like a free IPad will be created.

   "In 2012, we are making a bold statement about our commitment to save more lives," David Fleming, president and CEO of Donate Life America, said.

In Arizona, the goal is to sign up 500,000 people as donors to contribute to the nationwide goal of 20 million.

   Currently, more than 112,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. More than 2,100 people in Arizona are waiting for the call that will save their life.

   Arizonans can sign up as registered organ, cornea and tissue donors when they apply or renew their driver's license or ID at the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). They can also become donors by signing up online or by calling 1-800-94-DONOR.