Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Press Release
SOURCE: LifeSharers
Thomas Mollo Named Advisor to LifeSharers
National Kidney Registry Executive to Help Grass-Roots
Effort to Increase Organ Donations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – November 18, 2008 – Thomas Mollo,
Executive Director of the National Kidney Registry, has agreed to serve as an
advisor to LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors
that gives registered organ donors preferred access to transplantable organs.
It was launched in 2002 to help alleviate the shortage of human organs needed
for transplant operations. That shortage kills over 8,000 Americans every year.
“LifeSharers has the potential to make a significant dent
in the ever growing organ shortage,” says Mr. Mollo. “I really like the fact
that the decision to donate is mine and not left to those left behind. If more
individuals donated altruistically while living or donated upon their passing
the growing problem could be solved. Everyone should seriously think about the
impact they could have on their fellow man.”
There is a large and growing shortage of transplantable
human organs in the United States. Over 100,000 people are on the national
transplant waiting list, and more than half of those people will die before they
get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless, since Americans bury or
cremate 20,000 transplantable organs every year. LifeSharers has created an
incentive to stop this terrible waste, by giving registered organ donors
preferred access to donated organs.
LifeSharers members agree to donate their organs when they
die. They also direct that their organs be offered first to other LifeSharers
members, if any member who needs them is a suitable match, before offering them
to non-members. By giving registered organ donors preferred access to their
organs, LifeSharers members create an incentive for non-donors to become donors.
“LifeSharers offers a compelling trade,” says David J.
Undis, Executive Director of LifeSharers. “If you’ll donate your organs through
LifeSharers after you’ve died, LifeSharers will increase your chances of getting
a transplant should you ever need one to live.”
LifeSharers membership is free and open to all at
http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age
limit, and parents can enroll their minor children. No one is excluded due to
any pre-existing medical condition.
LifeSharers members receive an organ donor card, letters to
share with family members and doctors, and language to attach to their durable
power of attorney for healthcare.
ABOUT THOMAS MOLLO
Thomas Mollo is Executive Director of the National Kidney
Registry. The mission of the National Kidney Registry is to save and improve
the lives of people facing kidney failure by increasing the quality, speed, and
number of living donor transplants in the world. The National Kidney Registry
is a nonprofit organization based out of Long Island, New York and supported by
counselors, volunteers and partners around the United States. The National
Kidney Registry web site is at
http://www.kidneyregistry.org.
Mr. Mollo has 25+ years of management experience, including
senior operating positions at TIAA-CREF and JC Penney. He attended the New York
Institute of Technology and served 20 years in the New York Air National Guard.
About LifeSharers
LifeSharers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit network of organ
donors. Membership in LifeSharers is free and open to all. LifeSharers does
not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation,
national origin, age, physical handicap, health status, marital status, or
economic status. Since its launch on May 22, 2002, LifeSharers has attracted
11,826 members, including members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico. The LifeSharers web site is at
http://www.lifesharers.org.
Contact:
David J.
Undis, 615/351-8622
daveundis@lifesharers.org
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