(WWJ) – There’s a big need for more organ donors in Michigan.
April 1 marks the start of National Donate Life Month, raising awareness for organ donation and encouraging Americans to register as a donor.
Bruce Nicely, vice president of clinical operations for Gift of Life Michigan, says more than 2,500 Michiganders are currently awaiting organ transplants.
The “vast majority” of them are awaiting a new kidney, Nicely says, but there are plenty of other organ types, ranging from livers and hearts, all the way down to skin and other tissues.
As the call for more donors continues, Nicely says there are about 4 million Michigan adults registered as donors – more than half the state’s adult population.
But there’s always a need for more.
“That’s always paramount on my list of interests, is getting people to sign up for that donor registry,” Nicely said Sunday on “Michigan Matters” on CBS 62.
One woman on Sunday’s show spoke first-hand about the importance of donors.
Rachel Kuntzsch went from being a healthy mom of two to being diagnosed with congestive heart failure and becoming a heart transplant recipient.
Thanks to a transplant, she says she feels “terrific” and has been able to live a full life since.
“I was in good health prior to my transplant, so aside from heart failure, I had no medical conditions, and today I live a full life,” she said. “I’ve been able to hike 12,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, I’ve jumped out of an airplane, I’ve gone for runs again, all kinds of things. I live a very healthy and full life.”
Kuntzsch and Nicely are both encouraging all Michiganders to consider joining Michigan’s donor registry.
Information on how to join the registry can be found on the Michigan Secretary of State website or through Gift of Life.
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