Four people got new kidneys today from living-donor transplants at Northwestern in what doctors there call a "domino exchange," in which donors "agreed to give a kidney to a stranger in exchange for a compatible kidney from an unrelated donor for their sick relative." Like a big old organ web of sharing and caring. Living-donor kidneys are the best kinds of kidneys to get, and donors lead totally normal lives afterwards.
April is National Donate Life month. Here in Illinois, if you registered as an organ donor before January 2006, you need to reregister to make sure your wishes are carried out. Donate Life Illinois is trying to register 3.5 million donors by the end of the month, and although they're using a weird, scary organ mascot named Morgan D'Organ to do it (pictured), it's an important initiative. There are nearly 100,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the US right now, and more than 6,000 of them die every year. One donor can help 25 people.

Stroger Makes Hollywood Play


that poor intern.
that organ-mascot just made me throw up at my desk.
my dad's been the recipient of a kidney transplant since NYE '84, so i'm all about the kidneys and the transplants. but that mascot is EWWWW.
What organ IS the organ-mascot? Is it a liver? A kidney? A heart? It looks vaguely like a strange version of a Jelly Belly?
He's but of course a liver! Thanks a ton for calling attention to our efforts Margaret. As mentioned, it's very important to re-register after Jan. 1, 2006 to join the state's new registry and ensure your wishes as a donor are honored.
He may be a weird mascot...but dang, Morgan's got moves...check it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQfN258VTPc
That mascot doesn't even make sense. Why target KIDS for organ donation?
Nope, not kids. He resonates amazingly with college students and adults...he pretty much needs his own agent these days with the event requests.