By Staff
To kick off April as Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Month, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land urges residents to become unsung heroes by enrolling in Michigan's donor registry.
Land made her comments during news conferences at Spectrum Health's Butterworth Campus in Grand Rapids and at Secretary of State branch offices in Southfield and Flint.
To promote the importance of organ donation, Land joined with organ donor officials, physicians, transplant recipients and their families to share compelling stories about organ donation.
In conjunction with the kickoff, the Department of State hosted its annual "Buddy Day" at nearly 100 branch offices, including Dowagiac's. Gift of Life volunteers known as "buddies" are invited to branch offices from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to meet with the public and discuss organ donation.
The "buddies" are actual organ donor recipients or family members of a recipient or donor. They share their experiences with the public and help sign people up on Michigan's Donor Registry. This year saw more participation than ever with 150 "buddies" attending.
For more than a decade the Secretary of State's Office has partnered with the Gift of Life organization to advocate greater donor awareness through Buddy Day.
In 2002, the Gift of Life organization reported 226 Michigan organ donors who saved or enhanced the lives of 553 recipients.
That represents a 3-percent increase from the previous year.