According to officials, the number of people joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry has decreased by half amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Gift of Life Michigan, an organization that facilitates organ and tissue donations, works with the Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) to grow and maintain the registry -- but SOS offices have been closed to in-person services due to the pandemic.
Now, officials are encouraging Michigan residents to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry online.
Interested individuals can register to donate organs, tissue and eyes at the end of their life to someone in need of a transplant. Individuals can also explore a “living donation” -- or giving a kidney or part of their liver to someone in need while both individuals are living.
According to Gift of Life Michigan, each organ donor can save up to eight lives and each tissue donor can benefit the lives of up to 75 people. On average, about 88 lives are saved by an organ transplant in the U.S. each day, officials said.