East Haven Runner Hope To Raise Awareness For Organ & Tissue Donation

Courtney Rechtiene of East Haven will participate in the 41st Annual Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, MA to raise funds for the New England Organ Bank (NEOB). 

The team consists of 20 athletes who will run in ‘Organ Donors Save Lives’ running shirts to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation and to urge those watching the popular race to consider registering to be organ and tissue donors. 

This is Rechtiene’s first year on the NEOB team.  As a registered nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital she sees the positive impact donation has on patients and families. She hopes her run and fundraising efforts will encourage others to register as organ and tissue donors.  

“This is our second year with a team participating in the Falmouth Road Race and we are very excited to be back” said Laura Dempsey, Team Coordinator.  “Many of our runners have a personal connection to donation and are very passionate about the cause.”  

Currently there are close to 5000 patients waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in New England, and over 119,000 across the United States.  Sadly, an average of 18 patients dies every day while waiting, simply because the organ they needed did not become available in time.  

Additionally, over one million Americans require a tissue transplant each year as part of a medical procedure. These procedures are possible because ordinary folks have donated corneas, bone, tendons, heart valves and skin after death. These tissues are used to treat a wide variety of conditions, some of which may be life threatening.

This easiest way to register as a donor is to do so when they renew their driver’s license or to sign up online at www.DonateLifeNewEngland.org.  Like the driver’s license designation, the Donate Life New England Donor Registry is a computer database of individuals who have made the decision to be a donor and can be accessed in timely way after an individual’s passing so that their wish to donate may be honored.

About New England Organ Bank

New England Organ Bank is the federally-designated, non-profit procurement organization responsible for the surgical recovery of organs and tissues for transplant throughout the New England region. 

About Donate Life New England

Donate Life New England is a joint project of two federally designated organ procurement organizations that serve New England – LifeChoice Donor Services and New England Organ Bank. They have come together to create a fast and easy way for citizens of New England to register as organ and tissue donors in a secure and confidential manner.  For more information, visit www.donatelifenewengland.org. 

Information in this article provide by the organizations.