The Celebration of Life

You may have read about Nicole Miller last year. A precocious first grader, Nicole was born with a genetic kidney disorder. While waiting for a new kidney, Nicole’s health took a turn for the worse. Her parents were ruled out as suitable donors. While her doctors scrambled to find a donor and her prognosis grew dim, her former teacher came forward and made a life-saving donation. It would be nice if all stories ended like Nicole’s, but unfortunately they don’t. In the United States, there are over 100,000 people waiting for an organ donation and a new person joins the list every 10 minutes. Sadly, 20 people die each day waiting. Meanwhile, only 54% of US adults are registered organ donors, but up to 95% of US adults are eligible. To put this in perspective, one donor can potentially save up to eight lives.  Increasing the organ donor rolls is a primary goal of New Providence-based NJ Sharing Network, a non-profit organization that is responsible for the recovery and placement of donated organs and tissue.  Since its’ founding in 1987, the number of organs recovered in New Jersey for transplant has quadrupled.

On Sunday June 3rd, the NJ Sharing Network will host its New Providence 5K Celebration of Life run. In past years, more than 10,000 have turned out to walk, run or jog to honor those who donated, pay tribute to those who received, offer hope to those who continue to wait and to remember the lives that have been lost while waiting for an organ donation. The event will feature music, entertainment, food trucks and kids activities. So, register today and help celebrate the gift of life.