News

LifeBanc Leads Ohio in Saving Lives through Organ and Tissue Donation

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

More than 25,000 Lives Saved and Healed in Northeast Ohio

(Cleveland, OH February 8, 2010) One person can make a big difference. In the case of organ,

eye and tissue donation, one person can literally change the lives of 50 or more people. On

January 27, 2009, Holly Mulkerin’s life forever changed. Waiting on a heart since 2006 and living

off of an artificial heart machine for over 200 days, Holly’s second chance arrived because one

individual said “yes” to become a registered organ and tissue donor when getting his or her

driver’s license.

“I am home with my family and can do all those small tasks that don’t mean much until they are

taken away from you,” Mulkerin of Medina said. “I still have healing to do but I do it with a happy

heart and what an awesome miracle that is. I’m not sure a donor will ever know what an

incredible thing they have done.”

Holly’s life changed forever in 2009 and as with every transplant done in Northeast Ohio, it is only

possible through the generosity of the donors and their families, who continue to make the

decision to save or enhance lives through organ and tissue donation, Cleveland’s transplant

centers, donor hospital staff and LifeBanc.

In 2009, more than 600 organ and tissue donors helped LifeBanc save and enhance more than

25,000 lives. Working together with its 80 hospital partners, LifeBanc led Ohio in the number of

donors for the year, furthering this region's commitment to the men, women and children waiting

for life-saving organ transplants in Northeast Ohio. During the year, LifeBanc recovered 397

organs from 116 donors for life-saving transplants, a 22 percent increase over the previous year.

“The increase in organs transplanted reflects highly effective donor management strategies,

persistence in the allocation process and collaboration between hospital staff and LifeBanc,” said

Gordon Bowen, LifeBanc Chief Executive Officer.

Another LifeBanc milestone was the 6,738 tissues recovered from 497 tissue donors, a 39

percent increase, over the previous year. “Tissue donation is expanding and never before have

the families, hospitals and communities we serve been so supportive to heal and save lives,” said

Bowen. A single tissue donor can heal and save the lives of 50 or more people.

Notably, just as Holly’s donor was a registered organ and tissue donor, 57 percent of LifeBanc’s

613 organ and tissue donors were from individuals who said “yes” to be a registered organ and

tissue donor. Since 2007, more than a quarter of a million northeast Ohioans have registered to

become donors for the first time, with more than 103,000 signing up in 2009, a 5.4 percent

increase over 2008. The percentage of registered organ and tissue donors in LifeBanc’s region is

steadily increasing and reached an all time high in December with 53.2 percent of all licensed

drivers and state ID holders designating their decision to be donors. In Ohio, 291,632 new

registrants were added to Ohio’s Donor Registry and 35.5% were from Northeast Ohio. Nearly

five million Ohioans have become designated donors since December 2004.

Additionally, LifeBanc was nationally recognized in 2009 by the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS) as one of 30 Designated Service Areas in the country to achieve at least

a 75 percent conversion rate for organ donors. LifeBanc was tenth in the nation out of all organ

recovery agencies for converting those patients who met eligible criteria for donation into actual

organ donors.

Groundbreaking for LifeBanc’s new home started in 2009. Slated to open in spring of 2010, the

25,000 square foot building will help strengthen donation recovery efforts and help save, heal and

change the lives of those waiting and honor the gifts that have been given.

In 2010, LifeBanc will continue to focus on more lives being saved by teaming up with Donate Life Ohio, a

consortium of Ohio’s organ, eye and tissue recovery organizations to increase the number of people

registering to be organ, eye and tissue donors. With more than 105,000 women, children and men waiting for life-saving organ transplants across the country; the need is greater than ever. More than 1,800 of those waiting reside in Northeast Ohio. The critical goal of the 2010 Green Chair Campaign, funded by the Second Chance Trust Fund, is to add 240,000 new donor registrations in Ohio by June 30, 2010.

LifeBanc is responsible for coordinating the organ and tissue donation process, increasing registration rates, providing education and bereavement services for donor families