Since 2003, National Donate Life Month has been crucial in inspiring Americans to consider organ, tissue or eye donation. It's also a fitting occasion to honor those who have given these life-saving gifts. Choosing to donate offers hope to those waiting for transplants, providing them a chance at a renewed life.

Organ donations make our Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Kidney Transplant Program possible. As the only kidney transplant program in Northwest Florida, we serve communities across the Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast. For those with end-stage kidney disease who qualify, kidney transplant remains the best treatment possible. The selfless act of kidney donation through our program has already helped 162 people in the region.

Since establishing our transplant program in 2016, we have expanded to meet the needs of our patients by conducting living donor transplants. Live donations can shorten the time it takes for patients to get a transplant and can reduce the risk of organ rejection. According to the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, the transplant success rate using a living-donor kidney was reported as 97% at one year and 86% at five years.

Organ donation falls into two main categories: Deceased donation occurs when organs are given after an individual's death, offering a chance to save multiple lives. Living donation involves someone donating an organ, such as a kidney, while they are alive.

For 2025, Donate Life America is using birds to represent Donate Life Month in April. These creatures carry cultural meanings, representing both new beginnings and visits from loved ones who have passed away. The annual return of birds and their melodies offers a sense of peace and hope.

In addition to kidney transplants, Sacred Heart partners with LifeQuest to collect tissues and other organs from deceased donors. It only takes 30 seconds to register as a donor, potentially saving up to eight lives. Living donation is also a powerful opportunity to donate one of your kidneys. You do not need to be related to someone to be their living donor.

The issue surrounding organ transplantation is ever-growing in the U.S. and you can take the steps to save the life of someone right here in Northwest Florida today.

Currently:

• More than 100,000 people are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S.

• Every 8 minutes another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.

• 5,600 people in the U.S die each year while on the transplant waiting list.

• 13 people die each day while waiting for an organ transplant.

Please, consider registering to donate your organs, tissue or eyes or reach out to our transplant team about possibly taking part in a living kidney transplant. To sign up for traditional donation, visit organdonor.gov, and if you are interested in being a living donor please reach out to us at (850) 416-0278
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Beth Murray MSN, RN, is the Living Donor Coordinator at Ascension Sacred Heart