Giving Tuesday Gratitude Request: "We Want Your Donor Registration, Not Your Money"

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Nov. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Instead of requesting donations this Giving Tuesday, the American Society of Transplantation (AST), in partnership with ORGANIZE, are encouraging individuals impacted by an organ donation or transplant to use the power of storytelling to film a short gratitude video to raise awareness about importance of registering to be an organ donor at tribute.co/power2save.

The objective of the campaign is to help educate and engage audiences around the critical need for organ transplant research and give them a free way to be engaged on the national holiday of giving back: Giving Tuesday. Recipients of organ transplants can share their powerful stories through a series of two minute long testimonials expressing their gratitude for their donor and donor families.

Additionally, educational resources about the desperate need for research are embedded in the online portal hosted by Tribute.co. Over 700,000 Americans have received a life-saving organ transplants but they do not last for a lifetime. Many patients will require a second or third transplant due to organ rejection ? but it doesn't have to be this way.

"While there is likely to be a constant organ shortage, eliminating the need to re-transplant organs will save many lives," said AST president, Dr. Ronald Gill. "Together with researchers and scientists committed to this effort along with public support, we can make a transplanted organ last for a lifetime and decrease the demand for organs."

On average, a transplanted kidney lasts 15 years but organ rejection can threaten the life span by seven and half years. However, transplantation research can change this reality and offer better outcomes for organ recipients.

To view stories of a life-renewed and to upload your own organ transplant gratitude video, visit Power2Save and learn more about becoming an organ donor at ORGANIZE.

About the AST: Founded in 1982, the American Society of Transplantation (AST) is an organization of more than 3,500 professionals dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation and improving patient care by promoting research, education, advocacy, and organ donation. The society is the largest transplant organization in North America and is recognized as the premier society for transplantation. AST members are sought out as transplant experts and advocates.

About ORGANIZE: ORGANIZE, a non-for-profit organization based in New York, leverages health data to end the organ donor shortage by applying smarter technologies, utilizing social media, building more creative partnerships, and advocating for data-driven policies. Visit us online at www.ORGANIZE.org, or find us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Tribute.co: Tribute is on a mission to spread gratitude and human connection in the world. The Brooklyn based startup offers a collaborative video technology that makes it easy to collect and share meaningful videos from a group of people. The New Yorker recently called them "Hallmark 2.0" and the service is being used for everything from personal birthday celebrations to international marketing campaigns.

Media Contact:
Jenn Goonan ? American Society of Transplantation
[email protected] / 617-947-0971

SOURCE American Society of Transplantation