(Orlando, FL) January 5, 2018 – TransLife Organ and Tissue Donation Services, the not-for-profit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO), is proud to announce that in 2017, more lives were saved because of Central Florida organ donor heroes than ever before in the program’s history. As of December 31, an astounding 440 lives were saved because 161 people said “yes” to organ donation. Of those 161 organ donors, 84 (52 percent) had made the decision themselves and registered either on their license or online. TransLife recovered and allocated 505 life-saving organs, also the most number of organs recovered in the organization’s history.

“Our team’s passion for saving lives is evident in their commitment to our donor families, collaboration with our hospitals and engagement in our communities,” said Ginny McBride, TransLife’s Executive Director. “To know that 440 people got a second chance at life because of someone’s selfless act of giving the greatest gift… that’s the mission we aim to serve.”

In addition to organ donation, TransLife also serves as a tissue recovery program for the region. In 2017, 246 tissue donors provided life-enhancing gifts to those in need of bone, skin and tendon donations. As a result of those who said “yes” to tissue donation, a potential 18,450 lives can be enhanced across the country.

There are currently more than 5,300 Floridians waiting for a life-saving transplant, with more than 500 of those in Central Florida. TransLife’s service area includes Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, Sumter, Lake, Okeechobee, Flagler and Volusia counties in east-Central Florida. The organization currently employs 50 full-time employees, partners with more than 50 hospitals and is responsible for educating 3.8 million people on the importance of organ and tissue donation.