Celebrated in August, National Minority Donor Awareness Month honors the generosity of multicultural donors and their families, while also underscoring the critical need for people from diverse communities to register as organ and tissue donors.
NJ Sharing Network, the non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissue in the state, leads these local outreach efforts throughout the year with its #DonationNeedsDiversity campaign, an initiative to empower multicultural communities to become more involved in saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation.
Joe Roth, president and CEO of NJ Sharing Network, stresses the importance of National Minority Donor Awareness Month and the #DonationNeedsDiversity campaign.
According to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents are waiting for a life-saving transplant, and 67% are people of color.
“Each year in New Jersey, thousands of lives are saved and enhanced through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Clearly, this is something to celebrate. However, there is an urgent need to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation to help save more lives in our diverse communities of New Jersey,” Roth said.
“Although organs are not matched according to race and ethnicity, and people of different races frequently match one another, all individuals waiting for an organ transplant will have a better chance of receiving one if there are large numbers of donors from multicultural communities.”
E. Denise Peoples, hospital and community services specialist, NJ Sharing Network, is a double-lung transplant recipient and a Newark resident who works throughout the year to promote NJ Sharing Network’s life-saving mission in local schools, faith-based organizations and community associations.
“We have all experienced how health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and kidney failure have impacted those around us – our mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors," Peoples said.
"That’s why there is a greater need than ever for transplants among our racial and ethnic minorities. We need the active support of our community members to help educate others and dispel any myths and misinformation about organ and tissue donation."
NJ Sharing Network’s #DonationNeedsDiversity year-round campaign features a combination of in-person community events and activities as well as virtual programs on NJ Sharing Network’s robust social media channels, website and targeted e-mails.
NJ Sharing Network also provides online tools that supporters can use, such as Facebook photo frames and messages, and encourages community interaction by sharing stories of how organ and tissue donation has improved lives.
The Gift of Life
Rev. Dr. Valerie M. Griffin, Chaplain at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, is just one example of a local resident touched by organ donation and transplantation.
Rev. Griffin is loved and admired by all those who know her. She always brings hope and joy to patients, families and her colleagues. She truly practices what she preaches as she never lost hope while waiting nearly three years for a life-saving kidney transplant.
“I always remember that God will provide and walk with you – especially in times of need,” Rev. Griffin said.
Last year, Rev. Griffin received the call that she had been waiting for. Her transplant surgery was a success, and she is now feeling healthier and stronger each day.
“I am not supposed to be alive – no one expected me to live beyond my 20s due to the medical issues and struggles that I have had with sickle cell anemia since childhood,” Rev. Griffin said.
“I am forever grateful for my donor who unselfishly gave me the gift of life. There are no words to fully express my deepest gratitude. This gift is like no other, and I will always keep my donor and his family in my thoughts and prayers.”
For more information about ways to get involved and support the #DonationNeedsDiversity campaign, please visit the NJ Sharing Network Website.
To register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.