MINNEAPOLIS - For the first year ever, organ donations have soared, reaching 10,000 deceased donors in 2017, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.
"We are grateful every day for the decisions families make to help others," said Susan Gunderson, Chief Executive Officer of LifeSource, the nonprofit organization that facilitates organ, eye and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest.
LifeSource, based in Minneapolis, worked with a record 184 grieving families to steward the gifts of 586 organ transplants in 2017. The record year in the organization’s nearly three-decade history is part of the national increase in organ donors.
"Knowing that one person's gift to be a donor can improve the lives of up to 60 people. It's really quite profound," said Gunderson.
They believe the increase comes from more awareness, mostly through stories of families who have received a life-saving donation and grieving families who have donated.
Additionally, LifeSource facilitated eye and tissue donation from 568 donors, potentially saving and healing up to 42,600 lives.
In 2017, Minnesota became the first and only state to allow its residents to register as donors when purchasing their hunting and fishing licenses online through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Approximately 30,000 people have registered.
LifeSource officials say 63 percent of Minnesotans have already made the decision to save lives by registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Minnesotans can register as a donor in several ways: By checking the box on their driver's license or ID card application, online at DonateLifeMN.org, or when applying for their hunting and fishing license application online.
Even with the generosity of donor family members and the continued efforts of LifeSource and partner organizations, nearly 3,400 people in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and western Wisconsin continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant.