Meredith Potts looks on as VU Commodore football player Javon Marshall signs up to be an organ donor at Monday’s organizing event for Donate Life’s awareness campaign. (photo by Joe Howell)
Donate Life seeks big awareness hit at VU football game
While Commodore fans are hoping for a win over the Tennessee Vols during Saturday's gridiron showdown, Donate Life Vanderbilt is also looking to score big.
Organizers will have a booth in Vandyville, the football tailgating area on Natchez Trace, to encourage sports fans to give others a second chance at life by registering as an organ and tissue donor.
Tennessee has approximately 2,400 individuals waiting for life-saving transplants. More than half are Vanderbilt patients. Nationally, more than 109,000 people are waiting for a transplant.
This week student athletes sported Donate Life Vanderbilt T-shirts to help raise awareness about the campaign as well as promote Saturday's event.
Andre Walker, a senior guard/forward for the Commodore men's basketball team, is doing his part to help generate interest in the campaign.
Walker's mother received two lung transplants before she died in 2009 at 54.
He recalled how she would speak to driver's education students at his high school about the importance of organ donation.
“If it wasn't for organ donation, my mom's life would have been a lot shorter than it was,” said Walker, a Chicago native.
“A lot of people choose not to become organ donors for whatever reason, but by becoming a donor you are saving someone's life.”
Walker hopes his participation with the campaign will generate more interest about organ donation.
“When I pass on, I want to be responsible for helping someone if they need a heart or a lung. And if your family member needed it and there were not enough organ donors, you would want more people to become donors — trust me.”
Tennesseans can register to be an organ or tissue donor by checking “YES” on their driver's license application or by registering at tndonorregistry.org.
Vince Taylor plans to sign up as part of the awareness campaign. Taylor, a freshman defensive tackle for the Commodores football team, knows the benefit of organ and tissue donation. He is thankful for the cornea transplant his mother received when he was a young boy.
Commodore basketball player Jasmine Lister, left, and Holly Isom, of Tennessee Donor Services, show off the T-shirts Vanderbilt students have been wearing this week in support of organ donation awareness. (photo by Joe Howell)
“My mom was legally blind,” said Taylor. “Growing up, it was just the two of us. Without the transplant she would not have been able to drive. She was my ride to football practice and everything else.
“Now she can see,” he said. “She may not have 20/20 vision, but she can see.”
Taylor said the impact one person can have through organ and tissue donation is tremendous.
“By donating you are helping someone else out and keeping their life going,” said Taylor. “You may never know the impact you have on another person's family through this one deed.”
Donate Life Vanderbilt's Meredith Potts said there will be future challenges with other sporting events.
“We want to involve other University groups and sports teams in a united effort to raise awareness,” said Potts. “We are looking for students to both share their personal stories about donation and transplantation and become engaged in future events.”