Organ/Tissue Donor Awareness: NJ Sharing Network (North/Central NJ) · Gift Of Life Donor Program (South NJ) · Online Donor Registration
Organ/Tissue Donation Info · Religious Considerations · Living Donations · Financial Donations · 2020 Transplant Games
Donate Life New Jersey is a life-saving partnership between Gift of Life Donor Program (southern NJ) and NJ Sharing Network (northern and central NJ). Together these federally designated organ procurement organizations coordinate the organ and tissue transplants for all New Jersey residents.
NJ Sharing Network reports that for 2018, New Jerseyans received a total of 678 life-saving transplants — including a record 79 heart transplants — from both living and deceased donors. In addition, a record number of 826 vision-related transplants took place last year, all of which resulted in a total increase in transplants of 35% over the past six years.
3,527 New Jerseyans are currently waiting for a life-saving transplant. While there are more than 2.5 million registered organ and tissue donors in New Jersey alone, there is still a need for more.
Along with working closely with hospitals and transplant centers, Donate Life New Jersey also tirelessly works to increase awareness and educate people about the life-saving benefits of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Part of this work has aided in getting the Donate Life Transplant Games of America to take place in New Jersey in July 2020 at the Meadowlands Arena.
The Transplant Games are a biennial Olympic-style festival originally meant to show how one could live a normal and fulfilling life after receiving a transplant — they have since have expanded to also include participation from donor families, tissue recipients and living donors. According to Elisse Glennon, vice president of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, “the purpose now is to bring the entire donation and transplant community together for camaraderie and to raise awareness.”