Tissue and Bone Donation in New Jersey – Improving Lives

Sue Hoag (left in photo) and Lenore Ford spoke to Kiwanis on November 2 about tissue and bone donation in New Jersey.

Sue spoke first about the New Jersey Hero Act, signed by Richard Cody in 2008. This permits Motor Vehicle Commission workers to ask applicants and register them as donors when they receive a driver’s license or other state ID. All applicants need do is say “yes” and their license will identify them as an “Organ Donor”. Due to this law, the registration list in NJ has grown to over 2,000,000. More recently, legislation requires that public schools and medical schools include donor awareness in curricula. She noted that people who are registered donors should add the information to their Living Will. There are over 100,000 U.S. patients in need of transplants, of which 4500 live in NJ.

Lenore Ford, Chair of the Donate Life Committee of Overlook Hospital Auxiliary, spoke about tissue donation, which is different from organ donation. Members of the organization give talks to raise awareness about being a donor. They work with organizations like the NJ Sharing Network and the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF). MTF is sometimes regarded as the “bone bank”.

Lenore handed out a poster showing the many body parts (not organs), which can be donated to help improve the lives of people. Donors can provide eyes, heart valves, skin, blood vessels, tendons, cartilage, bones and more. As an example, she discussed an 8-year old girl who had bone cancer. Her doctor avoided amputation of her leg by transplanting a healthy bone from a donor. To make operations like this possible, generous donors are needed. She ended her presentation by asking all members of Kiwanis to say “yes” and become donors.

Many brochures were handed out. Click here to learn more.