National Foundation for Transplants Urges Americans To Become Organ Donors

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Foundation for Transplants today re-launched the NFT Transplant Challenge to encourage individuals to register as organ donors.

There are currently 102,073 patients on the national waiting list for an organ transplant, and another name is added to the list every 11 minutes. Because there is a national shortage of registered donors, approximately 18 people die every day while waiting for a transplant.

The NFT Transplant Challenge, which first launched in April 2009 in honor of Donate Life Month, urges individuals to officially register as organ donors through their state donor registry. Studies show that while 90 percent of Americans say they support organ donation, only 35 percent of licensed drivers have taken the steps to become organ donors.

“Recently, national attention has turned toward transplants and the transplant process, and we wanted to use this opportunity to educate the public about this urgent need,” said Jackie D. Hancock Jr., NFT president. “At NFT, we help transplant patients fundraise to cover their expenses, but all the money in the world won’t help if there aren’t enough available organs. We created this challenge to draw attention to this health crisis and encourage people to give the gift of life.”

The goal of the Transplant Challenge is to register 100,000 individuals as organ donors, in honor of the patients waiting on the national list. Additionally, the Challenge hopes to raise $100,000 to assist NFT’s patients with their transplant expenses.

To accept the NFT Transplant Challenge, please visit www.transplants.org and click on the Transplant Challenge logo.

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