Turia Pitt’s life was saved after 16 American donors, including donors from Gift of Life’s region, provided skin grafts for transplant.
Turia Pitt, an elite athlete, acclaimed speaker, author, mining engineer and former model was burned on over 65 percent of her body when a freak firestorm trapped her and another runner participating in a 100 kilometer ultra-marathon in the Australian outback. The Australian physicians struggling to save Turia knew she needed donor skin grafts, yet no donated skin was available at the time in Australia. Australian doctors turned to MTF, a leading U.S. tissue bank for help. The generosity of 16 Americans, including donors from Gift of Life Donor Program’s region, helped save Turia’s life. Turia’s amazing recovery has allowed her to reclaim her elite status as an athlete and complete the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
On December 20, Turia shared her message of hope and gratitude for the life-saving and health-restoring gift of tissue donation when she shared her powerful story to Gift of Life Donor Program employees and supporters.
For more information on Turia, visit http://turiapitt.com/.
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About Gift of Life Donor Program
Gift of Life Donor Program is the non-profit, federally-designated organ procurement organization, serving 11.2 million people across Delaware, southern New Jersey and the eastern half of Pennsylvania. Its annual donation rate ranks among the highest in the world. Since 1974, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 46,000 life-saving organs for transplant, and approximately one million tissue transplants have resulted from the generosity of donors and their families. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and a tissue donor can enhance the lives of up to 75 others. For more information or to register, visit donors1.org.
About The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF)
The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), a non-profit organization based in Edison, NJ, is a national consortium comprised of leading organ procurement organizations, tissue recovery organizations and academic medical institutions. MTF’s mission is to save and heal lives by honoring donors’ gifts, serving patients and advancing science. Since its inception in 1987, MTF has received tissue from more than 115,000 donors and distributed more than 7 million grafts for transplantation. For more information, visit www.mtf.org.