LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) has once again broken its record of saving lives for the fifth consecutive year.
In 2022, 239 organ donors and 539 tissue donors saved nearly 600 lives across Kentucky, which is a 23 percent increase from 2021, and the most lives saved in any year.
“Registering as an organ donor is a selfless act, yet our communities repeatedly prove that our hearts are as big as our spirits,” said Julie Bergin, KODA President and CEO. “Without the gift of life, nearly 600 lives could have been lost last year. These donors, and the continued increase in the number registering to donate, heroically continue to help shrink the list of those waiting for a transplant.”
KODA, started in 1987, is partnered with 112 hospitals and transplant centers throughout the region, the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks, Donate Life KY, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, coroners and medical examiners and Eye Bank of Kentucky, all who helped make 2022 a record-breaking year.
Eye Bank of Kentucky reported 710 cornea donors, resulting in 1106 total transplanted corneas. In addition, KY Circuit Court Clerks' Trust For Life said more than 90,000 people joined Kentucky's organ donor registry.
“The heroes of our success are not only our donors and their families, but they are our staff and partners,” said Bergin. “Without these compassionate professionals and their dedication to the mission, donation and transplantation simply would not happen.”
Currently, there are 1,032 people in Kentucky waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and thousands in need of tissue and cornea transplants this year.
To become a donor, you can register online at https://registermeky.org/. For more information about organ, tissue and cornea donation, visit http://www.donatelifeky.org/.
KODA serves 114 counties in Kentucky, four counties in southern Indiana and two counties in West Virginia.
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