Celebrating Organ Donors: National Donate Life Month

National Donate Life month is just around the corner, and health officials want to remind you the importance of celebrating organ donors.

Every day in April, people across the nation are being encouraged to make a special effort to celebrate those who give the ultimate sacrifice.

Currently, more than 120,000 people across the nation are on waiting lists for a transplant.

Here in Fargo, health officials say there is always a need for more donors.

“For us personally here in the transplant world it’s good to just bring awareness to donation and transplantation in our community. Here in Fargo we have about 80 patients who are in need of a kidney, and or pancreas. This is the time where we can really voice support for them, and try to get the word out that they’re in need of this gift from somebody,” said Nick Hillman, Director of Transplant at Sanford.

Hillman says 30,000 more patients have been added to the organ transplant waiting list in the last ten years.