The Donor Network of Arizona has surpassed the 1 million mark of people signed up to donate their organs, tissue and corneas.
In recent years, organ donations have risen sharply. Last year, a record 116 Arizonans donated their organs.
As many as 900,000 people on the donor list, however, may not realize they are on it. That’s because the donor network reactivated a decade-old list of potential donors kept by the state’s Motor Vehicle Division.
Anyone who said they were willing to donate when they applied for a driver’s license before 1997 has been added to the current list of donors.
“We thought the names were lost,” donor network spokeswoman Stacy Underwood said. “We still have to ask the family… But we can use that checkbox to open a dialogue.”
She said the donor network will consider the people potential donors until they remove their names from the list. “One organ donor can save or enhance the lives of 75 people.”
In 1997, legislative changes removed the donor checkbox from driver’s license applications, which left the donor network relying on registrations and families making decisions minutes or hours after loved ones have died.