National Donor Day: Stories that Inspire Awareness Around Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

National Donor Day 2020: Stories that Inspire Awareness Around Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

Friday might be known best as Valentine’s Day, but February 14 is also National Donor Day. On a day dedicated to showing your friends, family, and neighbors how much they mean to you, we can’t think of a better way to spread the love than by helping to raise awareness of the lifesaving benefits of organ, eye and tissue donation. Today is National Donor Day 2020.

Advocates like Laurie Weaver, whose husband became a donor after passing away in 2018, are hoping that by sharing their stories with the community, they can help inspire others to discuss organ and tissue donation with their loved ones. Right now, nearly 115,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a lifesaving transplant and about 2,000 of those people are living in our region.

Wyoming teacher saved countless lives by saying ‘Yes’ to organ, eye and tissue donation

In 2018, Sam Weaver passed away suddenly from a massive post-surgery stroke. Sam was a teacher, president of the Casper Mountain Fire Department Board, and was working on the Casper Mountain Ski History Project when he passed away. He lived his life wanting to help others and was able to continue that legacy after his passing because he made the selfless decision to sign up as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Through donation, Sam was able to donate his organ and give many others a second chance at life.

Just one month before his stroke, Sam and Laurie had discussed donation and their decision to help others by giving the gift of life. Together they decided to say Yes to organ, eye and tissue donation when they renewed their driver licenses. Laurie says knowing Sam’s decision ahead of time brought her comfort during a very sad time and helped her feel prepared when faced with the donation process.

How YOU can help on National Donor Day

Everyone can sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor by saying Yes when they get or renew a driver’s license or state ID, or anytime at DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

Just one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal more than 75 lives through eye and tissue donation. By signing up to become a donor and talking to your friends and family about donation, you can lend a hand in saving more lives. Starting the conversation can be hard, but your decision to become a donor cannot be changed by your family so it’s important for your loved ones to know about your decision to help others. Visit this guide for tips on how to start the conversation.

If you’re interested in other ways you can contribute to the conversation and help raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation, please visit: www.donatelife.net/things-you-can-do/.