Resources for National Donor Sabbath are available.

Each year the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) distributes more than 500 donor pins to congregations that plan to recognize National Donor Sabbath. This year, National Donor Sabbath will be Nov. 11. Congregations and individuals can show their support of organ and tissue donation by wearing and distributing green ribbon pins. To view worship and study resources for National Donor Sabbath, visit www.brethren-caregivers.org.

While medical advances now enable more than 25,000 Americans per year to receive organ transplants that save or enhance their lives, latest statistics show that not enough organs are available to help everyone in need. As a result, nearly 7,000 people die in the US each year--about 19 a day--while waiting for a donated kidney, liver, heart, lung, or other organ. Today, more than 96,900 people are on the national organ transplant waiting list.

In recent years, progress has been made in creating awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation. Most Americans indicate they support organ donation. Nonetheless, only about 50 percent of families asked to donate a loved one’s organs agree to do so. Thousands of opportunities to donate are missed each year, either because families do not know what their loved ones wanted, or because potential donors are not identified for organ procurement organizations and their families are never asked.

--Mary Dulabaum is director of communications for the Association of Brethren Caregivers.

Source: 11/07/2007 Newsline