Transplant Recipients Inspire Public to Donate Life...New ad campaign to launch in April - National Donate Life Month

RICHMOND, Va., April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Donate Life America is releasing a new series of public service announcements featuring the real-life stories of transplant recipients from a diverse cross section of the population.

The ads are aimed at educating the public about the benefits of donation and transplantation and inspire them to visit http://www.donatelife.net to learn the essential steps in their states to become organ, eye and tissue donors.

The television, radio, print and web campaign, featuring kidney, heart, liver, cornea and tissue recipients, allows the public to witness the life-saving effects of transplantation.

Transplants are the only hope for the nearly 100,000 people in this country on the waiting list for an organ transplant and the hundreds of thousands more in need of tissues to restore their mobility and sight.

"When my daughter received her transplant at age 2 the doctor told me she would not have lived one more day without a transplant," says Nancy Santiago, mother of 11-year-old heart recipient, Priscilla. "Now, after her transplant, there's nothing she can't do."

Every year there are more than 25,000 organs and 1,000,000 tissues and corneas transplanted in the United States, yet 18 people die each day waiting for a transplant that does not come in time.

"Every single person in this campaign represents a life that would have been lost or diminished without a transplant," said Dave Bosch, president, Donate Life America. "There is no one that can express the power of donation and transplantation better than those who have experienced it. Their inspirational stories will move the public to commit today to organ, eye, and tissue donation."

National research shows that although 98 percent of Americans support donation, only 30 percent know the essential steps to take to become a donor. Others allow misconceptions, fears and misinformation to prevent them from making a decision. The public can get answers to their questions as well as guidelines for how to become a donor in their state by visiting http://www.donatelife.net.

"One donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 50 people," says Bosch. "This campaign is a great example of how much power each individual can have simply by making and acting on the decision to Donate Life."

About Donate Life America
Donate Life America is a not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and local partners across the United States, serving as a national voice and inspiring all people to save and enhance lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.