For the first time, over half of eligible New Yorkers are registered as organ and tissue donors

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – More than half of eligible New Yorkers have registered as organ and tissue donors through the state’s Organ Donor Registry, boosting life-saving efforts, Governor Kathy Hochul announced last week.
While New Yorkers make up 10% of the national organ transplant waiting list, the state has historically had the lowest organ donation rate in the country.
“This is a very important milestone for New York and the thousands of New Yorkers who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant,” Governor Hochul said.
Reaching the 50% mark is a major achievement, up from just 22% a decade ago, which Hochul credits to the dedicated efforts of advocates and colleagues at the Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Department of Health (DOH) for raising awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors.
Nearly 10,000 New Yorkers need a life-saving organ transplant, and each year, about 500 die waiting for an organ to arrive in time.
“More than 80% of New Yorkers who enroll in the Organ Donor Registry sign up through the DMV, so we have made a concerted effort to educate our staff and our customers about the importance of organ donation,” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said.
He shared that the collaboration with the DOH and Donate Life New York State was a key to this success.
One organ donor can save up to eight lives and help 75 more through tissue and cornea donations.
According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network OPTN), while younger living organ donors remain the majority, the number of older living donors is rising. In 2023, the number of living organ donors aged 35 to 49 rose by 7.9% to 2,720, while those aged 50 and older increased by 12.1% to 2,495. The 18 to 34 age group had 1,736 donors, reflecting a modest 1.1% rise.
In 2022, around 3,000 patients in New York State received lifesaving organ transplants.

Today, both David Thyme and his daughter, Stephanie Griffiths, are living with new hearts following their heart transplants. (Courtesy of David Thyme)Courtesy of David Thyme
Among them is Staten Island resident David Thyme, who is living with a new heart after his transplant on Nov. 20, 2023, at North Shore University Hospital in Long Island. His daughter, 16-year-old Stephanie Griffiths, also underwent a heart transplant on Dec. 5, 2022.
Blessed to have a second chance, Thyme says, “my purpose is to to keep alive and see my daughter graduate.”
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