DONATE LIFE DRIVER

Imagine the lives we could save if everyone took the time to learn the true facts about donation! I ask that during National Donate Life Month that you help bust the myths about organ donation-and help save lives-by learning and sharing some of these facts. There are many myths and misperceptions about organ, eye, and tissue donation that prevent someone from signing up.

DONATE LIFE DRIVER

When you enroll through this method, a symbol of a heart and the words 'Organ Donor' will be printed on the front of your driver license or non-driver identification card at no extra cost. So when someone asks you: “Do you have a heart?” you can proudly answer: “YES!”

STEP 2: The next time you come to the Erie County Auto Bureau check the box and sign the organ donor consent certification on the forms used to apply or renew a driver license or non-driver identification card.IT'S THAT EASY! STEP 1: Tell your family of your intention to donate. Please remember that signing the back of your Driver's License is not enough! Although it is an act in support of donation, it does not enroll you in the electronic statewide database readily accessible by hospitals and procurement organizations. To register as an organ and tissue donor, you must follow these important steps. I encourage all motorists, age 16 and older, that come into any Erie County Auto Bureau office to enroll in the Donate Life Registry by adding the “Organ Donor” designation to your driver license or ID by checking “YES” and signing the New York State Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation consent on the application or renewal form.īy enrolling in the Donate Life Registry, you are giving legal consent for the recovery of your organs, tissues and eyes for the purposes of transplantation and research at the time of your death. Together with our community partners at Connect Life we have made substantial strides in the number of enrollments in Erie County, but we still have much work to do.Īccording to Connect Life, 80% of people that become organ donors register through their DMV. I want to thank the staff of the Erie County Auto Bureau for their efforts in raising awareness and providing motorists with valuable information on the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation. These unprecedented enrollment numbers are something the staff of the Erie County Auto Bureau is very proud of! Erie County has also surpassed the state-wide statistic by registering 55.7% of customers when they checked the box “YES” to this life-saving cause compared to 42.5% state-wide. I am pleased to report since 2017, over 185,000 Erie County motorists enrolled in the Donate Life Registry at the local Auto Bureau. We are very proud that our Erie County Auto Bureau plays a significant role in saving lives through the New York State Donate Life Registry. One person who donates organs (hearts, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines) can save up to eight lives, while a tissue or eye donor (corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, tendons, veins, etc.) can improve more than 75 lives by restoring eyesight, helping fight infections in burn patients and preventing the loss of mobility and disability. Each year, approximately 500 men, women and children in New York State die due to the shortage of donors. Thousands more are waiting for life-enhancing tissue and eye donations. Few things we leave behind in life could be as important.Īs you read this, as many as 10,000 New Yorkers are waiting for a life-saving transplant, including close to 800 people here in Western New York. The Gift of Life comes in many different ways through many different stories, personalities, lives and backgrounds. Through organ, eye, tissue and blood donation you can be someone’s hero. The average citizen gets very few chances to save the life of another. Donate Life The Next Time You Come To The Erie County Auto BureauĬHECK THE BOX, SAVE A LIFE AND BE SOMEONE’S HERO!Īpril is National Donate Life Month and my staff at the Erie County Auto Bureau are pleased to join in the effort to alert customers of the donor crises and encourage everyone to enroll in the Donate Life Registry.

Donate life