There are lots of great ways to contribute to the well-being of our communities and our state, but perhaps the most impactful way to do so is through life-saving organ and tissue donations. April is National Donate Life Month, and it represents an important opportunity to raise awareness of the critical shortage of donors needed to support the thousands of New Yorkers waiting for transplants. Becoming an organ and tissue donor is easy, and doing so affords you the chance to affirmatively and directly save the lives of your fellow New Yorkers.

For several members of the Assembly Minority Conference, Donate Life Month has especially meaningful significance. At a press conference highlighting the importance of organ and tissue donation earlier this week, Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley and the Adirondacks) shared the heartbreaking journey he and his wife, Megan, endured after the unimaginable loss of their son, AJ, last year. To honor his memory, they helped save the lives of five individuals in need by donating AJ’s organs.

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) recalled the details of his experience giving his sister, Teresa, his kidney in 2006. Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Cedarhurst) shared his living-donor experience of donating a kidney to a Purple Heart recipient, and further, Assemblyman Brian Maher (R,C-Walden) spoke passionately about his wife’s donation to a local teacher and coach whose family reached out on social media for a match. All of these incredible stories are an inspiration, and hopefully, they help move others to boost New York’s lagging donor pool.

The statistics highlighting the need for more donors are staggering. For example, every 10 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list. In New York, there are 7,917 patients on the transplant waitlist, and more than 1,000 individuals have been waiting for an organ transplant for more than five years. Sadly, last year, 377 New Yorkers died while waiting for a transplant. With greater participation in New York’s donor program, we can help reduce this tragic number.

Each new donor can save as many as eight lives, and their donation can help heal 75 others. Anyone older than 16 can register for the state’s Donate Life Registry, and no one is too sick or too old to register. There are no costs to donors or their families as associated expenses are paid through the recipient or their insurer. The decision to donate will never impact the medical care of a potential donor, and donation is only considered after one has died.

In addition to becoming a donor, Donate Life New York State also encourages individuals and organizations to consider raising awareness of Donate Life Month through social media and by sharing inspirational stories highlighting the value of the program. Each successful donation is miraculous, and sharing those stories is a great way to provide hope to those waiting for a match.

It is easy to overlook the importance of eye, tissue and organ donation. It is not something that gets as much attention as it should, but the impact it has—directly saving the lives of thousands of individuals—is unparalleled. This April, please join me in making a push to bolster our organ donation list, and if you are so inclined, registering as a donor; doing so could be one of the most impactful things you ever do.