Redhawks will Celebrate Donate Life for Thursday’s Basketball Doubleheader vs. Western Illinois

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri is partnering with Mid-America Transplant for its Donate Life basketball games when it hosts Western Illinois Thursday. The women’s game is set for 5:15 p.m. followed by the men’s contest at 7:30 p.m., CT.

The Donate Life games raise awareness for the importance of organ and tissue donation. Mid-America Transplant is the regional organ procurement organization (OPO) responsible for facilitating safe, reliable donations for transplant.

As part of Mid-America Transplant’s partnership with SEMO, the basketball teams will wear special blue and green uniforms. Blue and green are the Donate Life colors. Registered organ donors can show their ID for a free Donate Life t-shirt at Thursday’s games while supplies last. 

 

Fans are encouraged to wear blue and green along with the Redhawks to support this lifesaving cause.

“We’re really excited to be partnered with Mid-America Transplant in order to raise awareness for the lifesaving benefits of organ donation,” said SEMO Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs Nate Saverino. “Fans can join the Redhawks in providing hope to those waiting and register to be an organ and tissue donor.”

“SEMO has been a great partner in raising awareness for the importance of organ and tissue donation,” added Kevin Lee, President and CEO of Mid-America Transplant. “Donate Life is the perfect time to register as a donor and make your wishes known to your family and loved ones.”

 

Saving Lives Thanks to SEMO Students
The ongoing efforts to increase the number of people registered for organ donation is special for the SEMO community.

SEMO students have played an important role in organ and tissue donation. Former SEMO soccer student-athlete Meg Herndon was tragically involved in a fatal accident. Through her selfless gift of organ and tissue donation, Meg was able to save and heal more than 17 lives, and leave a lasting legacy.

Also, a former music major, Madeline Flieg was a registered donor. When she passed away, her corneas restored sight to two people and more than 42 other lives were healed through tissue donation. Madeline’s family says that donation “seemed fitting” to continue her legacy.

 

Organ and tissue donation is essential for saving lives:
• Every eight minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list
• 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant
• In 2023, Mid-America Transplant facilitated 801 organ 
For those interested in registering as a donor, visit SayYesGiveLife.org
 

Mid-America Transplant enables adults and children to receive lifesaving gifts through organ and tissue donations. For more than 40 years, it has facilitated and coordinated organ, tissue, and eye donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ donors, recipients, and families, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant was the first such organization in the U.S. to use an in-house operating room for organ recovery and pioneered innovative models of increasing donor registry enrollment to provide organs and tissues to those in need. It is federally designated as one of 57 such organizations in the U.S. and is the first organ procurement organization (OPO) to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence, and the only two-time recipient. For more information, visit MidAmericaTransplant.org