Eye-tissue group encourages donors

This News By You article was submitted by Humanity Eye and Tissue Transplant.

More than 100 lives can be enhanced with the help of just one tissue donor.

That's the message Humanity Eye and Tissue Transplant wants to spread this holiday season with its "100 Lives From 1" campaign. The Phoenix-based tissue-recovery organization is dedicated to spreading the word and helping pull Arizona from the bottom of national donor lists.

"Everyone understands the importance of organ donation, but most people don't know that a tremendous need exists beyond that," said Andrew Bohn, CEO of Humanity Eye and Tissue Transplant. "Tissue donation can enhance the lives of thousands of Arizonans."

Raising awareness for tissue donation is crucial in Arizona, where fewer than 400 tissue donors exist. Contrast that with the more than 43,000 potential donors who die each year in the state and it's easy to see the impact additional donors can make.

"Arizonans have a right to be informed about how they can help enhance the lives of others," Bohn said. "We're launching this campaign to raise awareness and assist them in making a difference through tissue donation."

To educate the state's more than 6 million residents on the benefits of tissue donation, Humanity Eye and Tissue Transplant has turned to several social media Web sites to tell the story of "100 Lives From 1." Using Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed, the organization will build awareness for tissue donation and keep its followers up to date on the latest news, donor requirements and ways to become a donor.

Tissue donations can help in myriad ways, from providing skin grafts for burn victims and wounded veterans to supplying replacement corneas for people with damaged vision. They can also be used to correct congenital heart defects, repair ligament damage, reconstruct joints and restore hearing.

Unlike organ donation, where very few people qualify as donors, eye and tissue donations can be recovered from donors young and old and can enhance the lives of up to 100 recipients.

Bohn is hoping the increased exposure will help shed light on an issue he believes has been underserved in the past.

"We're confident that once people know more about tissue donation they'll want to help," Bohn said. "The need is far too great for this issue to be ignored any longer."

Information: 100livesfrom1.wordpress.com or twitter.com/100livesfrom1.