825 lives saved in 2023 due to generous decision of organ, tissue donors & their families
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For the ninth consecutive year, Donor Alliance, the nonprofit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming, achieved a record-setting milestone by saving and healing more lives than ever before in 2023. The generosity of 307 heroic organ donors from across Colorado and Wyoming resulted in 918 organ transplants, a 10.6% increase over 2022.
“The Donor Alliance team continues to demonstrate its intense commitment to honor donors and donor families while saving and healing lives through donation and transplantation throughout Colorado, and Wyoming. These results demonstrate the engagement and collaboration between our staff, hospitals, transplant centers, and volunteers,” said Jennifer Prinz, President and CEO of Donor Alliance. “Donor Alliance continues to express its immense gratitude for those who make the choice to be organ and tissue donors.”
Colorado resident Andrea Ogg knows how life-changing receiving a transplant can be and is proud of the generosity of the residents in the Rocky Mountain region.
“The work Donor Alliance does to facilitate organ and tissue donation and educate our community is extremely important,” said Ogg after receiving a heart transplant in 2018. “I know firsthand the incredible impact of donation and transplantation. Running my first half marathon was one of many things I’ve been able to do post-transplant that I was never able to with my native heart. It’s incredibly humbling to know that I wouldn’t be here without the selfless act of my donor and the lifesaving work of organizations like Donor Alliance. It’s also heartening to know that so many Colorado and Wyoming residents are making the same generous, heroic choice as my donor by registering.”
In addition to the lives saved through organ donation, there was a 3.9% increase in tissue recovered for transplantation in 2023. Donor Alliance honored the lives of 1,703 tissue donors and their families to recover lifesaving and healing tissues, which provided more than 100,000 tissue grafts to those in need. Each year, tissue transplants provide hope to tens of thousands of people suffering from injury, disease, or trauma.
As one of the 56 federally designated organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the U.S., Donor Alliance manages the third largest geographical region in the country. With such a large area to serve, Donor Alliance continues to find ways to increase opportunities for organ and tissue donation. In 2023, Donor Alliance joined the Matador Uncrewed Aerial System Consortium to explore the possibility of utilizing advanced drone technology to help honor donors’ gifts in rural communities and quickly transport lifesaving organs across long distances.
Nearly 1,300 people across Colorado and Wyoming continue to wait for a lifesaving organ transplant. One person can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation. For more information about donation, or to register as a lifesaving organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.
About Donor Alliance
Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation in Colorado and most of Wyoming. As a federally designated organ procurement organization – one of 56 in the U.S. – Donor Alliance serves more than 6.3 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance walks alongside the family during the organ recovery process and ensures their loved one’s gifts are safely received at transplant centers in a timely manner. Donor Alliance also facilitates tissue donation to save and heal more lives across our community. In addition, the organization maintains partnerships with hospitals and manages the donor registries in the region, Donate Life Colorado and Donate Life Wyoming, which are symbols of the cause. Through Donate Life, Donor Alliance educates residents on the lifesaving benefits of donation, inspiring them to register. For more information, please visit DonorAlliance.org.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Heather Burke, Donor Alliance
303-370-2765
hburke@donoralliance.org
