Video: Organ Donors Honored at OCH Regional Medical Center

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – During the National Donate Life ceremony at OCH Regional Medical Center, donors told their personal stories about helping to save a life through donation.

Kelly Lott grew up with Cindy Pittman and when she heard that her childhood friend needed a kidney transplant, Lott knew she would be the one to help her.

“When she publicly put out there that she had gotten on the list at UAB (Hospital) to receive a kidney, something came over one day sitting in church and I knew that I was supposed to get tested and donate,” says Lott.

Each year about 75,000 people are actively waiting to receive a donated organ. According to the CDC, about 8,000 organs come from the deceased and another 6,000 come from living donors like Lott. While Lott knew her recipient, Rob Robinson donated to someone he randomly met while hunting.

“I took up turkey hunting. That lead me to a farmer’s door to ask permission to hunt. That eventually lead me to donating him a kidney from Kansas. We live a thousand miles a part,” says Robinson.

The Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA) promotes donation awareness throughout the state and says thousands are still waiting.

“We have 1200 people waiting on our waiting list in the state of Mississippi. About 90% of those are needing kidneys, so it’s very important that we try to reach out to our communities to promote donations so we can save lives,” says Lee Waldrop, with MORA.

In the United States, the most commonly transplanted organs are the kidney, liver, heart, and lungs.

If you would like to designate yourself as an organ donor in Mississippi, contact your local DMV, or visit dmv. org to find out all of the facts.