Courtesy of the Philadelphia Tribune.
The Gift of Life Donor Program is gearing up to mark National Minority Donor Awareness Week.
The week of awareness, observed Aug. 1-7, serves to honor the generosity of multicultural donors and their families and underscore the need for minority communities to register as organ and tissue donors.
The Gift of Life Donor Program serves as the region’s organ and tissue transplant network. In Gift of Life’s region, more than 50 percent of those waiting for a kidney transplant are minorities. Nationally African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans represent 58 percent of those waiting for a life-saving transplant.
Lisa McIntosh-Harris, a resident of Pine Hill, N.J., knows the importance of organ donation firsthand. She was diagnosed with kidney failure when she was 18 years old.
In just a few short years, McIntosh-Harris’ kidneys completely failed and she was put on dialysis.
Learn more about National Minority Donor Awareness Week here.