Speaker Shekarchi honored for efforts to promote organ donation

New England Donor Services has recognized Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi for his leadership in partnering to save lives with Donate Life Rhode Island.

“One organ and tissue donor can impact as many as 50 lives – and that’s not even counting the loved ones of those affected,” said Speaker Shekarchi. “My mother was a skin and tissue donor. When she passed away, multiple people were helped by her generous donation, and it brought comfort to our family to know that she lived on through the people whose lives she impacted. I am registered to be an organ donor myself, and I encourage others to register as well.”

There are currently more than 125,000 men, women, and children in the United States waiting for a life-saving transplant. More than 5,000 of these individuals live in the New England region. Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national waiting list and each day 23 people die while they wait for their transplant.

New England Donor Services and Donate Life America recognize the great service of community and state leaders who help to bring attention to the importance of registering as an organ and tissue donor at the state DMV when getting or renewing ones driver’s license, ID or REAL ID or online anytime at www.RegisterME.org.

In 2020, more than 1,027 lives were saved in New England because of the generosity of individuals who became organ donors. Thousands more lives were enhanced through the gift of tissue donation. With the need for life-saving transplants growing every day – over 108,000 patients are now on the US transplant wait list – it is crucial to educate our communities about taking action to register as donors.