Nationwide, 98,000
people are on an organ transplant list. Of those, 17 people
die each day awaiting a transplant.
Berkeley Scott, executive director of Kentucky Circuit Clerk’s
Trust for Life, delivered those statistics at a Rotary Club
meeting Monday afternoon at the Smith House.
He and Sara Satterwhite spoke to the group about organ donation
awareness and encouraged people to sign up on the state’s
recently established electronic donor registry.
Satterwhite’s father, the late Judge Charlie Satterwhite,
received a lung transplant. The younger Satterwhite spoke about
what she had learned from her father as a transplant recipient
and activist for organ donation awareness.
“Many children believe our dads are superheroes,”
she said. “I was no exception.”
She is involved in Students for Organ Donation Awareness (SODA).
There are about 20 active members at Transylvania University,
where Satterwhite is a sophomore.
“These clubs are particularly special to my Dad’s
memory because he was a Transy alumnus,” Satterwhite said.
The organization raised $600 last month during its second-annual
“Mr. Transy” beauty pageant.
Scott commended the efforts of Satterwhite and other students.
“It’s not easy to get college boys to dress up in
evening gowns,” Scott said, drawing laughter from the
audience.
Scott also talked about the Satterwhite Fund, established in
memory of the former judge, which helps “fill in the cracks”
for costs not covered by insurance or Medicare, such as transportation,
housing and start-up medication, for transplant recipients.
Scott said the fund has distributed close to $150,000 since
its inception in 1999.
The Charlie Satterwhite Golf Shamble is held in Owen County
each year, with part of the proceeds benefiting the fund. The
event is slated for April 7 this year.
“Coming back to Owen County and having Owen County support
us in his memory is really tremendous,” he said.
Scott also encouraged people to sign up on the state’s
online donor registry at donatelifeky.com.
Kentucky became the 42nd state to set up such a database when
approved by the General Assembly last year, according to Scott.
He said the old process, of simply signing the back of one’s
driver’s license, is slow and inefficient.
In some cases, Scott said, it is difficult for a hospital to
accurately determine if a person is an organ donor. Trust for
Life expects the new registry to eliminate such problems.
“We have the right to say how we want our organs distributed,”
he said. “And this is what the registry will do.”
Those wanting to become organ donors will be able to sign onto
the registry when renewing their licenses. But Scott stressed
that, with license renewal not being necessary for several years
for many drivers, signing up online is important.
“We don’t necessarily want people to wait (until
license renewal),” he said. “You can go to this
site and, within three or four minutes, get on the registry.”
Trust for Life hopes to have a million Kentuckians signed up
on the registry by 2010.
