Dane Co. recognized as a leader in tissue donation during National Donate Life Month

DANE COUNTY, Wis. (WMTV) – Dane County leaders were recognized during National Donate Life Month for the county’s leadership in tissue donation on Wednesday.

In partnership with the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office, Donate Life Wisconsin and other local donation partners, County Executive Melissa Agard highlighted the importance of registering to become an organ donor.

“As an organ donor myself, I know that there are a lot of ways that we each can individually can make a difference in the lives of over 100,000 people that are on the waiting list waiting for organ donation and the countless others that are waiting for tissue donation,” Agard said.

Agard said she donated one of her kidneys to her father in 2016.

“Donating my kidney to my dad was one of the most profound things that I have ever had the opportunity and privilege of being able to do,” she said. “I do think about the additional seven years that he had, that he would not have had, if I hadn’t been able to do that. And that is something that I benefit from every single day, having those additional years of memories.”

Over 64% of Dane County residents are currently registered as organ donors, but Agard said the county can do better.

“We are not the highest performing county in the state of Wisconsin,” she said. “We could be the best in the state, right?”

In Wisconsin, more than 1,400 people are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Agard encourages Dane County residents to consider registering to become a donor.

“During National Donate Life Month, it is certainly a time when that reflection is a little bit more profound and I absolutely take the opportunity to encourage people to think about whether or not they want to take the path of being a living donor or marking that they would like to be a donor post-mortem.”

You can consider registering to become a donor on your taxes, when you go to the DMV to receive/renew your driver’s license or state ID. You can learn more through this link.

“But, please, do your research. Make sure that this is the right fit for you and for your family and if it is that right fit, take those steps,” Agard said.

National Donate Life Month is observed each April to honor the gift of donation and encourage Americans to register as donors. Dane County’s leadership in tissue donation is a powerful reflection of the generosity and compassion of its residents. This event will shine a light on the lives saved and transformed by that generosity.

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