AV Hospital raises flag and awareness of organ donations

LANCASTER – In honor of National Donate Life Month in April, Antelope Valley Hospital is calling on members of the community to consider the benefits of organ donation and join the California Donor Registry.

“There are over 112,000 people on the national waiting list on a regular basis, and over 20,000 in California alone,” said Denise Scott, Chairwoman of the Donor Council for Antelope Valley Hospital. “Approximately 18 people die every day on the waiting list, waiting for those precious organs.”

Hospital staff joined representatives of OneLegacy, the organ and tissue recovery organization serving the greater Los Angeles area, for a flag raising ceremony Monday to honor organ and tissue donors.

OneLegacy ambassador, Michelle Godoy, shared a moving story about her brother, who was on the list to receive a liver for about seven years, but died before receiving the transplant.

“Just because it did not work for my brother and he did not get his liver does not mean that our family has any regrets or bad feelings,” Godoy said. “We would like to see other families not go through this, so we’ve all become advocates… you must become donors.”

OneLegacy CEO Tom Mone said his group, along with AV Hospital, is taking part in the “20 Million in 2012,” campaign, a nationwide initiative that focuses on radically increasing the number of people registered on state donor registries.

“To help make sure that everybody gets a transplant that needs one,” Mone said.

The ceremony ended with the raising of a “Donate Life” flag, on the flagpole at the main entrance of Antelope Valley Hospital.

For more information on the benefits of organ donation and how to join the California Donor Registry, contact OneLegacy at 800-786-4077 or visit www.onelegacy.org.

You may also register to become an organ, eye and tissue donor online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or its Spanish-language counterpart, www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.