Skip to main content

To a lot of people, agreeing to donate their organs is not much more than a box to check or leave blank on your driver’s license. For the people who desperately need an organ, eyes, or tissue to save their lives, it means the world.

ECHO Donate Life takes place the last two weeks of July in 2019. This annual initiative began in 2015 as a collaboration between Donate Life America and the Association of Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT).

Why ECHO?

ECHO stands for Every Community Has Opportunity, and those opportunities include saving lives and healing the sick through the ultimate form of gift-giving. The idea is that one person delivering a message or a story about such a donation can have their voice echoed throughout a community. This echo will cause others to get educated and get involved on how they can bridge gaps, bring communities together, and generously contribute to the welfare of their fellow men and women.

Powerful Statistics

  • According to Donate Life’s website, there are approximately 114,000 people currently on the waiting list for an organ transplant that will save their life. To put that number in perspective, if they all traveled to Kyle Field to watch a Texas A&M football game, 102,733 could each have their own seat, but the other 11,267 would have to watch from the tailgate party.
  • That list grows one person longer approximately every 10 minutes.
  • More than 8,000 people in the US die every year because they could not get an organ transplant in time – that’s about 22 people per day.
  • 82% of the people on that list are in need of a kidney transplant.
  • A single person who donates their organs can save up to 8 lives.
  • A single person who donates their eyes can restore vision to 2 people.
  • A single person who donates their tissue can heal as many as 75 people.
  • In 2018, 17,500 donors gave their organs, tissue, or eyes.
  • Since 1988, 750,000 transplants have been successfully completed.

How to Become an Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donor

There’s no need to wait until your next trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles to register to become an organ donor. You can do so in less than two minutes by visiting Donate Life’s website. Note that once you register, your gift is both legal and binding, and you agree that upon your death, all viable organs and tissue will be donated for transplant. As of 2019, 95% of Americans say they are in favor of organ donation, but only 58% of those have registered to do so. To learn more about the donation process, including creating a donor profile and specifying any donation restrictions, you can visit RegisterMe.org.

It is important to note that only adults ages 18 or older qualify to become organ donors. Becoming an organ donor will not interfere with any funeral or burial arrangements, including requesting an open-casket ceremony.

SE Texas ER & Hospital supports all families in our community and encourages them to continue to research the importance of organ donation. Becoming a donor can help many people live long, fulfilling lives.

Disclaimer: As a service to our readers, SE Texas ER & Hospital and Nutex Health state no content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinicians.


Nutex Health, Inc supports you and your family’s health. You can depend on SE Texas ER & Hospital or any one of our concierge-level, medical facilities to deliver the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

NutexMarketing

About NutexMarketing