National Donate Life Month (NDLM) is a time to raise awareness of the lifesaving and healing gifts made possible through organ, tissue, and cornea donation. Nationally, more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, including over 6,000 people in Pennsylvania and more than 500 in West Virginia. On average, 17 people die each day waiting for a transplant they desperately need. Someone is added to the transplant waiting list every nine minutes.
“As we recognize National Donate Life Month, I want to encourage all Boone Memorial Health employees and members of our community to consider becoming an organ donor, particularly as we celebrate these meaningful events,” said Stephanie McDougal, Chief Nursing Officer at Boone Memorial Health. “Your presence and support help highlight the incredible impact of organ, tissue, and cornea donation. Whether it’s attending a walk, joining us for the flag raising ceremony or lunch and learn, or simply learning more about becoming a donor, every action contributes to a culture of compassion and hope.”
Throughout April, Boone Memorial Health (BMH), in partnership with the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), and Donate Life West Virginia (DLWV) held events to honor donors, celebrate the lives they’ve saved, and encourage everyone to register as organ, tissue, and cornea donors. These events bring communities together to pay tribute to the generosity of donors and their families and serve as a powerful reminder of the impact of donations and a celebration of the hope and healing it brings to recipients and their loved ones.
“During National Donate Life Month, we celebrate the power of donation to save and heal lives and the generosity of donors and their families that makes this possible,” said Susan Stuart, President & CEO of CORE. “We also recognize the remarkable partnerships between CORE and the hospitals, in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, like BMH, which helped facilitate 970 life-saving organ transplants in 2024. This month is a tribute to those who say yes to donation, bringing hope and healing to countless individuals.”
On April 18, Boone Memorial Health and CORE raised the blue‑and‑green Donate Life flag at the hospital’s main entrance. Liver‑transplant recipient Paul Carden, a Boone County schoolteacher who spent months in and out of hospitals before receiving a life‑saving liver from 20‑year‑old donor and Scott High graduate Pete Laton Jr., shared how the gift restored his health and allowed him to return to the classroom. Carden thanked the Laton family for their selfless decision and urged everyone present to register as organ, tissue, and cornea donors. CORE’s Cheryl King also shared heartfelt remarks from Pete’s mother, Robin, who was unable to attend the ceremony.
Boone Memorial Health’s Donate Life Month Activities
BMH, CORE and Donate Life West Virginia have woven donation awareness into the community all month long. Festivities began on April 4 when employees and visitors crowded the main lobby for a campaign kick‑off filled with educational exhibits, refreshments and giveaways. That afternoon, walkers of every age set out from the Madison Civic Center on a Donor Honor Walk, led by BMH provider, Heather Robinson, Physician Assistant, to remember those who have given and received the gift of life.
The conversation moved to the Danville Community Center on April 10, where a well‑attended Lunch‑and‑Learn paired a complimentary meal with candid discussions from donor families, transplant recipients and healthcare experts.
A burst of blue and green took over the BMH campus on April 11 for Donate Life Blue & Green Day. Cupcakes and keepsakes greeted guests in the main lobby, and at noon a sea of creatively costumed employees packed the hospital entrance for the annual group photo and friendly “most creative outfit” contest.
The month reached its emotional height on April 18, when the community gathered once more for the Flag‑Raising Ceremony, honoring every donor whose generosity turns loss into renewed life and hope.
Organ Donation: By the Numbers
How to Sign Up to Become a Donor: One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can heal over 75 others. Visit core.org/register to register and make your decision known to your family.
The Need: There Are More Lives to Save
- More than 100,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
- Every nine minutes, another person is added to the waiting list.
- More than 90,000 people across the nation await a kidney transplant—the organ in greatest demand — followed by liver, heart, and lung transplants.
- Multicultural communities, often at higher risk for conditions like diabetes and hypertension, make up more than 50% of the national transplant waiting list.
The Impact: Saving and Healing Lives
- In 2024, more than 24,018 individuals became organ donors in the U.S., including nearly 7,030 living donors.
- These generous gifts enabled 48,137 life-saving organ transplants last year.
- Tissue donation helps heal more than 2.5 million people annually, with just one tissue donor capable of improving the lives of more than 75 people.
- More than 85,000 cornea transplants restore sight each year, with a success rate exceeding 97%.
CORE’s 2024 Contributions
- 472 organ donors from CORE’s service area enabled 970 life-saving organ transplants—a 17% increase from 2023.
• Tissue donations from 1,654 individuals provided healing to nearly 125,000 people. - 905 cornea donors restored sight for 884 individuals, reflecting an 8% increase from the previous year.
- In western Pennsylvania alone, 345 organ donors contributed to 682 life-saving transplants in 2024.
About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of the more than 50 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region, and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. CORE is a winner of the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a presidential award that recognizes nonprofits for their innovation and excellence.
For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.
About Donate Life America
Donate Life America (DLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization leading its national partners and Donate Life State Teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes and tissue available to save and heal lives. DLA manages and promotes Donate Life℠, the national brand for the cause of donation; motivates the public to register as organ, eye and tissue donors; provides education about living donation; manages the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org; and develops and executes effective multi-media campaigns to promote donation.
