Celebrated in April each year, National Donate Life Month (NDLM) features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

To learn more about NDLM, and how you can promote donation, visit https://www.donatelife.net/ndlm/.

Here are some important facts about donation for you to keep in mind from the 2016 Donate Life America Donor Designation Report and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN):

• More than 33,600 transplants brought renewed life to patients, families, and communities .
• 8,000 people die each year because the organs they need are not donated in time.
• 80% of patients on the waiting list are waiting for a kidney. The average waiting time is 3 to 5 years.
• More than 138 million people are registered organ, eye and tissue donors.

Click here for more information about donation and transplantation statistics.

To register your decision to save and heal lives, visit https://registerme.org/.