Mississippians are being urged to donate their organs to help save lives. April is the start of National Donate Life Month.
Donate life month brings awareness to residents of the need for organ, eye and tissue donations.
Barney Mckee lives in Brandon. He had a heart attack in 1998, which caused his heart to slowly deteriorate. He had a heart transplant in 2010.
"I had come down to no other option except a transplant practically and so my days were limited,” Mckee said. “I got called to come get a heart and I went into the hospital and it took 10 days, and I came home with a new heart. I've been active and fully blessed from that day forward with a whole year's of new life.”
According to the Department of Public Safety, more than 700,000 residents in the state are registered donors.
Chuck Stinson is with the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency.
"Lives can be saved essentially that’s it, one organ donor can save eight lives one tissue donor can enhance the lives of over 50 others,” Stinson said. "It’s important to understand that Mississippians and Americans need people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors, because on average there’s 21 people dying each day waiting on a lifesaving transplant.”
One of the ways residents can become an organ donor is to make the designation on a new or renewed license or a state ID.
