ONE & ONE COMMUNICATION: SAVE A LIFE

The month of April is National Organ Donation Awareness Month. This is the month One & One Communications will reach the diverse CCNY community through the SAVE THE LIFE event, in hopes of inspiring and making a difference in the lives of those waiting to live a better one. The focus of the May 5th SAVE A LIFE event is to come together, learn facts on organ donation through inspiring stories and address misconceptions on organ donation. There will also be opportunities to play games to test and enhance your knowledge. You will have the chance to WIN a prize and most importantly the opportunity to register as an organ donor and SAVE A LIFE.

One & One Communications is a student-run AD/PR agency at The City College. The agency has come together to communicate, educate and inspire the student community on the topic of organ donation and its impact on our society. One & One Communications' main goal is to provide help and support to our client --The New York Organ Donor Network While partnering with NYODN, One & One Communications strives to address the dire need that New York State has to increase the number of organ and tissue donors by registering students and faculty members within the CCNY campus.

The New York Organ Donor Network serves 13 million people who live in the greater New York metropolitan area of NYC, Long Island, and the northern counties up to Poughkeepsie. Currently, 18 people die every day while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ. As so February 26, 2010, there were 106,179 people on the national waiting list (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network). In the New York State, more than 9,300 people need life-saving organ transplants and only 7,500 people are listed as organ donors. The number of people waiting for organ transplants continues to climb each year at a faster rate, while the number of organ donors remains lower which only highlights the calamity of the situation.

It is important for New York State residents to understand the vgalue of organ donation especially to people of color. Did you knkow that Native Americans are four times more likely than Caucasians to suffer from diabetes? Or that African American, Asian, and Hispanic people are three times more likely than Ccaucasians to suffer from kidney disease? Also, many African Americans have high blood pressure (hypertension) which can lead to kidney failure (U.S. department of Health & Human Services). Asking someone to become an organ donor is not easy. When people hear about organ donation, they are quite skeptical to participate because of the rumors and urban legends they hear and are not true.

Some of the most common misconceptions are:

• If someone agrees to donate their organs, the attending physician or emergency room staff won't try to save his/her life.
• Organ donation is against practiced religion.
• If organs are donated -- an open-casket funeral will not be possible
• Poor health and/or weak eyesight excludes the individual from donating his/her organs or tissues.
• The rich and powerful always seem to move to the front of the line when they need an organ donor. There's no way to ensure that my organs will go to those who've waited the longest or are the neediest.

there are many ways to help others or a loved one in need for a transplant. Anyone can be a potential donor; it's all a matter of finding out. Even someone who is alive can also donate an organ to a family member. Vital organs like the kidneys and the liver can be transplanted to another person, increasing the survival chance up to 75%. Just in case you did not know, becoming an organ and tissue donor is as simple as adding the donor designation to your driver's license, learner's permit or state identification card. Come to the vent and find out more.

*One Donor...

• Can donate kidneys to free two pepople from the dialysis treatments needed to sustain life.
• Can save the lives of patients awaiting heart, liver, lung, or pancreas transplants.
• Can give sight to two people through the donation of corneas.
• Can donate bone to help repair injured joints or to help save an arm or leg threatened by cancer or other illness.
• Can help burn victims heal more quickly through donation of skin, and provide healthy heart valves for someone whose life is threatened by malfunctioning or diseased valves.
  
• Can give more than 50 people a second chance at life!

A New York City resident and just one of the many people in our communities who have given the generous gift of life to someone through organ and tissue donation. At the age of 18, Ms. Woods donated one of her kidneys to her grandmother, Wiletta Richardson, who was then 73 and on dialysis.
According to Tasminea: "If there is a way that you can save a life and still live a healthy life of your own, then why not give it a try? It is well worth it."
Like Ms. Woods, you can mamke a decision today to save the life of a friend, family member, or complete stranger.

Article Compiled by ONE & ONE COMMUNICATION