 So we're here at City Hall to celebrate April as donate life month in the wonderful city of Portland We want to thank the mayor. We want to thank the secretary of state. We want to thank the BMV We want to thank may main med for the wonderful job They do each and every day to help save individuals lives by talking about Organ and tissue donation and encouraging people to register as an organ and tissue donor when they get their driver's license or ID Or online at register me.org It's a wonderful opportunity to give life to get that heart on their driver's license And to say that if I no longer need my organs someone else could utilize them and to continue This heart means that you love someone enough to help save someone else's life I do want to indicate that you're more likely to need a transplant than to become an organ donor again It is very very rare only five percent of all this happened in a manner where one can become an organ donor And there is no age limit to registering as an organ and tissue donor 50 60 70 80 90 we want you to register as an organ and tissue donor my experience with organ donation became terminally ill with liver disease due to a rare inherited genetic disease that gave me cirrhosis of liver and Being told that you know to get your affairs in order by the doctors and that the only treatment It's not a cure, but just a simple treatment is to get a liver transplant my experience with organ donation is very very personal I am a recipient of a liver. I ended up with Nash, which is non-alcoholic Steto hepatitis Came upon me about three years ago. I was working in California. I came home for the holidays and My family recognized very quickly that something wasn't right with me. I don't even remember that Christmas at all My body ballooned up because of the asides with given two days left to live I was given last rights on the evening before what I call my scheduled date to pass away They found a match for me. I rushed down to Burlington, Massachusetts late hospital And the transplant was performed which saved my life Just last month we saw nearly 18,000 manors sign up as organ donors when renewing or getting their first driver's license or state ID Getting that little heart symbol on your license doesn't take much effort other than checking off the yes box To agree to be an organ donor, but when the worst happens that little heart Can represent someone's second chance of life last year alone organ donation saved more than 28,000 lives One single donor can change the lives of more than 50 people We're gonna recognize the month of April 2021 as donate life month So here's the proclamation whereas there are more than a hundred and eight thousand Americans Including more than six thousand residents of New England who are currently waiting for a life-saving Oregon transplant and whereas there are over one million life-enhancing Tissue transplants each year that are made possible by the generous donations of corneas bone We can we can each help save up to eight people's lives and benefit up to 50 recipients by enrolling in the main donor registry when we apply for or renew our driver's licenses or by registering online at either www.registerme.org or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles website Therefore, I Kate Snyder mayor of Portland do hereby proclaim April 2021 as donate life month and urge all citizens of Portland to take cognizant to take cognizance of this event and Participate fittingly in its observance Signed and sealed this 15th day of April 2021 Maine is a great leader with 57% of the state registered as organ and tissue donors We think that we can get to 60 we encourage people to say yes when they go to the BMV and or online at register me.org You could you don't have to go to the DMV if you don't have that on your license already You can just simply go if you have an iPhone you can go to the health app and you can sign up right there It takes like 30 seconds or you can go to register me.org and it takes 30 seconds and you can do right there because that goes to the National organ donation and your name will be on that list just because you don't have the heart on your license Doesn't mean you have to go to the DMV and getting the license just for that Can stress enough the need for organ donation and how many lives are impacted just by one simple act of kindness