At the OTS meeting on April 5, we were fortunate to have two different speakers. Margaret Pearson, a coordinator in the office of organ and tissue donation at the Illinois Secretary of State’s office spoke about all the different events planned during April to promote organ and tissue donation. Many public service announcements were aired on local TV stations that featured Sofia, an 11-year-old girl who received a heart transplant last year.

OTS: Can you tell us what your business is, and where you work?

MG: I am a contract funeral director with the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network in Itasca, Illinois. I transport deceased donors from the hospitals where they expire to the Gift of Hope for donation recovery. My service area includes all of the hospitals in Lake County, Indiana, Kankakee County, Illinois, and far south Cook County, Illinois.

There were more than 36,500 transplants in the US performed last year - making 2018 the 6th consecutive record-breaking year! Of these transplants, more 10,700 came from deceased donors and more than 6,900 came from living donors which is the highest living donor total since 2005.

The life-saving practice of organ transplantation has come a long way over the centuries. Today, more than 30,000 kidney, heart, lung, and other organ transplants happen each year. Here are a few facts about the history and the current practice of organ donation.

The OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors, at its meeting December 3, approved a new liver distribution policy to establish greater consistency in the geographic areas used to match liver transplant candidates with available organs from deceased donors and reduce geographic differences in liver transplant access.

HSN Cares, the philanthropic arm of the Home Shopping Network (HSN), is excited to announce that Organ Transplant Support, Inc., will receive an award of $1,000 as part of the annual $1,000 a day give-away campaign.