[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