For the fourth year in a row, a record-high amount of Iowans donated organs that improved or saved lives across the state.

The Iowa Donor Network (IDN) shared with KIMT that 128 deceased Iowans donated 365 organs for transplant over the entirety of last year. Not only that, but "the number of organ donors has increased by 137% since 2017 and the number of organs transplanted has grown by 121%. IDN says there was also a record high of 984 tissue donors in 2021."

Suzanne Conrad, CEO of IDN had this to say regarding the record numbers in 2021 and prior years:

I am enormously humbled by the generosity of Donor Families who have enabled us to increase organ and tissue donation in Iowa for the fourth consecutive year. I am also tremendously grateful to our healthcare partners and the dedicated Iowa Donor Network team members who make this lifesaving work possible each and every day. The dedication to mission is palpable and I am proud to be on this team.

The IDN's goal in 2022 is to recover at least 400 organs for transplant. Anyone can join the registry for organ donation. To add yourself to the list, go to https://www.iowadonornetwork.org/register.

According to the University of Florida Health Network, "One donor alone can save or drastically improve the lives of eight or more people, and donations don’t always have to occur postmortem. Living donation serves as a viable option, especially in cases of kidney and liver transplantation, and saves the life of both the recipient and the next person on the waiting list."

Kenneth Andreoni, M.D., chief of the UF College of Medicine’s division of transplantation surgery said this of how much good organ donation can do for those in need:

A large number of transplant patients do extremely well, improving the quality and timespan of their life. It also drastically increases the productivity of their life, meaning they can be employed again and be involved with their family’s lives again, which is of value hard to measure.

Check out last week's live-donor story from Oskaloosa, Iowa.

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