    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9855 of March 29, 2019

    National Donate Life Month, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    During National Donate Life Month, we recognize the courageous men and
    women who make the selfless decision to give the gift of life to their
    fellow Americans. Through the generosity of organ and tissue donors,
    thousands of people have the chance to live longer and fuller lives.
    2018 marked the sixth consecutive record-setting year for transplants in
    the United States. More than 36,500 organs were transplanted, an
    increase of 5 percent over the previous year. These generous donations
    help fulfill a need for lifesaving organs that remains staggeringly
    high.

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    Currently, there are nearly 114,000 people on the national transplant
    waiting list, and, tragically, 20 people die each day waiting for a
    needed organ. We can close the gap between the availability of organs
    and people in need of organs: Just 1 donor can save up to 8 lives
    through organ donation and enhance up to 50 lives through tissue
    donation.
    In addition to those in need of organ donations, approximately 17,500
    people in America are diagnosed each year with illnesses for which a
    bone marrow transplant is their best treatment option. In about 70
    percent of these cases, a person's family member will not be an
    appropriate match, requiring a volunteer donor. Unfortunately, many
    patients cannot find a suitable match in time for the potentially
    lifesaving medical procedure among the 30 million adults who have
    offered to be donors. In 2018, for example, there were only 5,000 blood
    stem cell transplants performed in the United States--significantly
    fewer than the number of people who could benefit from such a procedure.
    This month, we express our gratitude to the compassionate Americans who
    join organ and tissue registries and to the healthcare and science
    professionals who make the gift of life possible through these
    transplants. We also remember all those who have died waiting for
    matches. To honor their lives and provide hope for the thousands of
    Americans on waiting lists across the country, I encourage all those who
    are capable to consider becoming organ or tissue donors.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2019 as National
    Donate Life Month. I call upon health professionals, volunteers,
    educators, government agencies, faith-based and community groups, and
    private organizations to help raise awareness of the urgent need for
    organ and tissue donors throughout our Nation.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of
    March, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP