Mountain Vista Medical Center, a Steward Health Care Family Hospital, and the Donor Network of Arizona held a flag-raising ceremony April 20 in honor of National Donate Life Month.

“Most people don’t know that one donor can save up to eight lives with organ donation and enhance the lives of more than 50 with tissue and cornea donations,” Damon Brown, Steward Health Care President of Arizona, said in a press release. “We hope this event inspires others to consider organ donation and register to become donors.”

Currently more than 100,000 American men, women and children are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and every day, nearly 20 people die waiting for an organ transplant, according to the release.

Last year in Arizona:

• 342 organ donors gave the gift of life, resulting in 776 lives saved. Eight organ donors were from MVMC, resulting in 15 lives saved, and seven of these eight organ donors had previously made the decision to save and heal lives by registering as organ and tissue donors.
  1,293 tissue donors and 765 ocular donors gave the healing and restoring gifts of tissue and ocular donation. 24 tissue donors from MVMC gave hope and healing to many through tissue donation. 14 ocular donors from MVMC restored the sight of 14 people through the gift of ocular donation.

National Donate Life Month was established by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003.

Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month helps raise awareness about donation, encourages Americans to register as organ, eye,and tissue donors and honors those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.