February 14th is National Donor Day!

The American Transplant Foundation has been connecting people to life for 18 years, going beyond awareness by providing real help to real families and making sure nobody goes through the transplant process alone.

Last year, record high numbers of organs were transplanted in our state – 778! This is fantastic, but as of February 2023, 1,094 Coloradans are still awaiting an organ transplant, including 41 children under the age of 18 years old. And though Coloradans of all ages are waiting to receive a lifesaving organ, two groups saw a record high of candidates added to the waitlist in 2022: 244 aged 35-49 years and 198 over the age of 65.

The American Transplant Foundation’s vision is to make Colorado the first state where nobody dies while waiting for a transplant. Last year, the number of Coloradans who died while waiting for a transplant or became too sick to be transplanted was 166 (vs. 211 in 2021) – that’s 166 lives! In fact, over 60% of Colorado transplant candidates have been on the waitlist for an organ for over 6 months – that’s over 650 people in need of lifesaving treatment.

As a result of the pandemic and the current economic situation, the Foundation has stepped up by creating the only national Emergency Fund for transplant recipients and distributed over $250,000 directly to patients so far through this fund. 

Finally, on National Donor Day, we want to acknowledge the amazing Coloradans who served as donors. Last year, a record high number of Coloradans (395!) donated one or more organs to help those in need. However, with so many candidates still on the waitlist, we want to remind your viewers to make sure they are registered as organ donors, and if you know someone who is affected by transplantation – reach out to them. And if you want to support a transplant patient – make a donation to the American Transplant Foundation’s emergency fund. 100% of your gift will go directly to transplant patients.

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