The Kentucky Donor Registry has seen rapid growth since it was started in 2006, increasing the number of life-saving organ transplants and a life-enhancing tissue donations.
Shelley Snyder, executive director of the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust for Life, said the number of licensed drivers who had joined the Kentucky Registry was at about 35 percent in 2011 when she joined the Trust for Life, Kentucky’s organ donor awareness program.
“Now it is 62 percent as we close out 2019. That is a wonderful accomplishment that is truly worth celebrating,” she said. “We could not have seen this rapid growth without our wonderful Circuit Court Clerks and their amazing staff members.”
So far this year, 39,196 lifesaving transplants have been performed nationwide in 2019. More than 1,000 Kentuckians still need a life-saving organ transplant, which compares to the 113,297 people nationwide that are currently waiting. Officials say that 22 people die every day waiting for a transplant and every 10 minutes a person is added to the waiting list for an organ transplant.
Anyone of any age and any health status can join the Kentucky Donor Registry as a potential donor (parents or guardians must authorize donation for those under 18). Health professionals determine is a person is eligible to donate after the person’s death. The oldest donor to date was 92 when her liver was donated. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and one tissue donor can heal more than 50 lives.
A woman named Misty is among many Kentuckians who have received the gift of sight from a cornea transplant, which is a type of tissue donation. One August morning Misty woke up with severe eye pain. She found out that she had a very rare eye infection that left a scar on her cornea. A cornea transplant restored her eyesight, giving her hope and making her forever grateful to her heroic donor. Every year more than 1,000 Kentuckians have eyesight restored through corneal transplantation.
“As a Circuit Court Clerk, I am so happy to see the rapid growth of the Kentucky Donor Registry. I encourage my staff to ask every person obtaining a license or ID if they would like to join,” said Daviess Circuit Court Clerk Jennifer Besecker. “Also, we gladly accept monetary donations to help support the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust for Life’s education programs about organ and tissue donation. It has been a pleasure to play a role in this life-saving mission.”
Kentucky residents may sign up as a donor when doing driver’s licensing business at one’s Circuit Court Clerk’s office or online at www.donatelifeky.org. Registering as a donor costs nothing, takes less than a minute, and gives hope to so many children and adults who are awaiting a transplant.
“My staff and I are thankful that so many lives have been saved, but the need is still there,” Besecker said. “I encourage anyone who has questions about organ and tissue donation to call 1-866-945-5433 and talk to specialists at the Trust for Life, Kentucky’s organ donation awareness program.”
