The Transplant Resource Center of Maryland (TRC)’s mission is to spread the word about the importance of being an organ and tissue donor. Every individual has a chance to potentially help 8 other people through organ donation and up to 50 other people through tissue donation by checking "yes" on your Maryland driver’s license or signing up on TRC’s mail-in donor registry. "The donor registry form is something that was created last year (2003) for people who would like to be an organ and tissue donor but do not wish to carry a donor card or have ‘yes’ designated on their driver’s license. If someone wants to register using this method all they would need to do is call TRC at 410-242-7000 and we will mail out the form. Once a person mails the donor registry form back to TRC, it is entered into a database by an employee and then audited by a second employee for accuracy," says TRC’s volunteer supervisor, Ms. Latrice Price.
On October 27, 2004 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Ms. Price trained 14 volunteers on how to speak to the public about organ and tissue donor awareness. Living donors, staff and others volunteered that night. Among the transplant recipients and their family members, the sentiment was universal: Each wanted to volunteer as a TRC speaker out of respect and appreciation for the many donors who had so powerfully touched their lives. One volunteer at the training was a patient who was on the waiting list for a heart transplant. His goal was to stay involved in a positive activity while awaiting transplantation.
Ms. Price explained the role of TRC, the scope of the national organ waiting list, the process of organ donation, and how to respond to the myths and misconceptions about organ and tissue donation. Ms. Price also presented the message she gives to all audiences: she asks everyone to make an informed personal decision about organ donation and then to tell their families what they learned about organ donation.
To volunteer, contact Ms. Latrice Price at 410-242-7000, x2037.
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