Mackendzie Dresbaugh

Learn more about organ donation, stories, statistics, and how to become a donor.
Others can live when we agree to give! #OrganDonation #RegisterToday

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Today marks the start of #OrganDonationWeek! Thanks to organ donation my grandpa is alive and doing great! Do something special and register as a donor today. @NHSOrganDonor

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

The US saw a 6% increase in deceased donors last year- from 11,870 in 2019 to 12,588 in 2020

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Over 105,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant. This is the lowest it has been since 2009. The list topped at 124,000 at its height in 2014.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

For the holidays, consider the best gift ever...organ donation.

The need is great, but the supply is poor. Organ donation is easy but few follow up with signing up.

Unfortunately, only 1 in about 1,000 people die in a way that their organs can be used.

So sign up today!

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

@HRSAgov #giftoflife #organdonation

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Celebrate the season of giving by signing up to be an organ donor!

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Did you know?

Everyone is a universal donor for corneal tissue - the donor's blood type does not have to match the blood type of the recipient.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Part 2:
Your decision to be a donor cannot be changed by your family. Your decision takes precedence over your loved one’s wishes, which is why it is so important to tell your family about your decision to help others.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Part 1:
Signing up as an organ, eye, and tissue donor means you have made the decision to donate at the time of your death. Using the term “wish” rather than “decision” implies that you are hopeful that you will become a donor but that your choice is not final.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Words are powerful and play an important role when it comes to debunking common myths and misconceptions about organ, eye, and tissue donation. Using the correct terminology can also serve as a way to pay respect to those who have given the gift of life and their loved ones.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Check out recipient stories of corneal transplants at https://t.co/YYNP75icvc

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

EBAA member eye banks provide tissue for approximately 85,000 corneal transplants each year and an additional 23,000 corneas for education and research. Since 1961, EBAA member eye banks have provided tissue for more than 2 million sight-restoring corneal transplants.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), founded in 1961, is the world’s oldest transplant association and is the nationally-recognized accrediting and standards setting body for eye banks.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Better Conversation Week is being celebrated this year from Nov. 20-26. This holiday encourages everyone to have more meaningful, open conversations with their loved ones.

This week, I encourage you to talk to your family about your organ donation decision.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Common Corneal Diseases that may require a transplant include Keratoconus, Fuch's Dystrophy, Lattice Dystrophy, and Iridocorneal Endothelial Syndrome.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

What is an eye bank?

-Eye banks are facilities where eye bankers restore sight and change lives in their local communities and around the world by facilitating cornea donation and providing ocular tissue for transplant, research, and education.

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

My uncle, Herbert Dresbaugh III, was killed by a drunk driver in 1999. He was an organ donor and his corneas were used for transplant. My family received a letter from the Indiana Eye Bank. Because of his generosity, the recipient was able to get back the gift of sight. #eyebank

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

The purpose of Eye Donation Month is to:
-Raise Awareness about cornea donation
-Honor the gift of sight given by selfless donors
-Celebrate cornea transplant recipients living their fullest lives
-Educate about eye donation and encourage individuals to register as donors

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

November is Eye Donation Month! Donors eyes are used in corneal transplants to help treat blindness. This month allows us to recognize the generosity of those donors!

[Mackendzie Dresbaugh @8acktoLife]

Read the linked article from the University of Chicago about my grandpa's success story and the new TransMedics OCS Lung device they used for transplanting organs.
#universityofchicago

https://t.co/XbwOD2rjEY