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To declare the month of April 2005 as DONATE LIFE MONTH in Columbus and to strongly encourage all citizens to consider the heroic difference a single donor can make in the lives of others and register their advance directive for organ, tissue and eye donation in the Ohio Donor Registry.
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WHEREAS, One person can save the lives of seven people through organ donation, enhance the lives of more than 50 individuals through tissue donation, restore the sight of two people through eye donation and help thousands in the future through research and teaching; and
WHEREAS, Over 87,000 Americans are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant; and
WHEREAS, In Columbus, over 600 people are waiting for an organ transplant at any time, and many more await life-enhancing tissue transplants; and
WHEREAS, A single donor can dramatically change and improve the lives of dozens of people through their anatomical gift and help promote the slogan, DONATE LIFE!; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, 86 Central Ohioans shared the Gift of Life at the time of their death and through their unselfish generosity 242 individuals received a second chance at life through organ transplantation; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, 109 Central Ohioans donated a kidney to a family member or friend through The Ohio State University Medical Center's living donor transplant program; and
WHEREAS, Statistically, every other day an Ohioan dies waiting for transplantation. In the last five years over 1,000 Ohioans have died waiting for a transplant; and
WHEREAS, The City of Columbus has joined Lifeline of Ohio and the US Department of Health and Human Services to educate city employees and our citizens about the importance of organ and tissue donation, and to encourage them to consider this generous choice; and
WHEREAS, The City of Columbus passed a Donor Leave Policy for city employees to support their choice for living donation to save the life of a family member or friend; and
WHEREAS, Central Ohioans can declare their wish to become a donor at the time of their death by indicating their intentions in the Ohio Donor Registry when renewing their driver license or State ID at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or by completing a Donor Registry Enrollment Form available on line at www.donatelifeohio.org; and
WHEREAS, Lifeline of Ohio is the designated organ procurement organization serving Central Ohio, and The Ohio State University Medical Center and Children's Hospital are the area's exemplary transplant centers; and
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby declare the month of April 2005 as DONATE LIFE MONTH in Columbus and strongly encourages and supports all citizens to consider the heroic difference a single donor can make in the lives of others and register their advance directive for organ, tissue and eye donation in the Ohio Donor Registry.