There are over one hundred thousand people in the United States in need of organ, eye or tissue donors. Thousands will die each year because a donor can’t be found for them in time. By taking a few moments and registering to donate the gift of life, you might be able to make a difference.

According to state data, less than half of all New Yorkers are enrolled in the State’s Donate Life Registry, the electronic database that documents a person’s consent to be an organ and tissue donor at the time of their death. This constitutes the second-lowest percentage of registered donors in the nation.

Each county’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is where close to 80 percent of organ donors first hear about and sign up to give life. It’s an easy process  for anyone who is at least 16 years old.

Just one organ donor can save 8 lives and help 75 more by donating tissue and corneas. People of any age and medical history can potentially be organ and tissue donors.

Donated organs, including the heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver, lungs, and intestines can save someone else's life and be a godsend for them and their family. Tissue donations can be used to replace bone, tendons, and ligaments lost to trauma, cancer and other diseases. Donated corneas can help restore someone’s sight and skin grafts help burn patients heal, and often can save their life. A living donor can give a kidney, one lung, a part of a liver or pancreas.

Organ and tissue transplant recipients have remarkable and inspiring success stories. Unfortunately the need for donors only continues to grow.

According to Donate Life New York State, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing donor registration, there are currently over 8,000 people in New York on the national organ transplant waitlist.

You have the power to help solve this public health crisis by choosing to help save and heal lives at your time of death by becoming an organ and tissue donor. A few moments of your time can mean a second chance at life for someone else.

Visit donatelifenys.org to learn more. Go to donatelife.ny.gov/register/ to becoming a registered donor today.