GLENDALE, Calif., April 1, 2017 — Renal Support Network (RSN), a nonprofit patient organization that helps people who are affected by chronic kidney disease, announces a month-long campaign urging Elected Officials to become an organ donor and make their decision known to the public via a social media post.
RSN is known for kidney themed social media posts on April Fools Day. This year RSN goes one step further and encourages people to participate in a campaign to inspire U.S. elected officials to register to become organ donors.
People of all ages, medical histories and religious backgrounds should consider themselves potential donors. One organ donor can save eight lives. RSN is urging all to email, call or social media post their state and national representatives by asking them to become an organ donor.
RSN founder and president Lori Hartwell and kidney transplant recipient says, “With all eyes on the future of healthcare, it’s important to keep organ donation on the minds of everyone. There are 119,000 people on the organ donation waiting list. Over 90,000 people are waiting for a kidney. Although 95% of Americans are in favor of being a donor, only 54% are registered. There is an urgent need to fill that gap. On average, 22 people die each day while waiting for a life-saving transplant. Every ten minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list.
RSN hopes to demystify donor registration and educate the community on this important choice. In addition, living kidney donation is an option and helps many people not rely on a dialysis machine to live. To be an organ donor it is important to sign up with your state registry. Find out more here.
Founded in 1993, RSN empowers people who have kidney disease to become knowledgeable about their illness, proactive in their care, hopeful about their future and make friendships that will last a lifetime. Lori was diagnosed in 1968 with kidney failure and knows how important hope, peer connection and knowledge is to survive and thrive with an illness. RSN’s hopeful and life-enriching, non-medical programs help people who have kidney disease and their families.
For more information visit, www.RSNhope.org
