Donate some blue and green and get on board and support the efforts of Donate Life America’s cause during National Donate Life Month!
With more than 100,000 men, women and children who are on the national transplant waiting list, the need for hope is great.
This event offers an excellent opportunity to engage in and share with others about the message of the life-saving practice of eye, tissue and organ donation.
National Donate Life Blue & Green Day Timeline
First Successful Human Cornea Transplant
Austrian surgeon Eduard Zirm performs the first successful human corneal transplant, showing that donated eye tissue can restore sight and helping establish modern eye banking and tissue donation.
First Successful Kidney Transplant Between Identical Twins
At Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, surgeon Joseph Murray leads the first successful kidney transplant between identical twins, proving that organ transplantation can treat end-stage kidney failure and inspiring wider transplant efforts.
First Human-to-Human Heart Transplant
Christiaan Barnard and his team at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town perform the first human-to-human heart transplant, demonstrating that complex solid organs can be transplanted and reshaping medical views on organ donation.
Harvard Brain Death Criteria and First Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
A Harvard Medical School committee publishes a report defining irreversible coma as a new criterion for death, and the first Uniform Anatomical Gift Act gives U.S. residents a clear legal way to donate organs and tissues after death.
National Organ Transplant Act Establishes U.S. Allocation System
The U.S. Congress passes the National Organ Transplant Act, creating the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and authorizing a nationwide system to coordinate and fairly allocate donated organs.
How to Celebrate National Donate Life Blue & Green Day
Looking for ideas and activities to get involved with National Donate Life Blue & Green Day? Check out a few of these options to get started with:
Wear Blue & Green
The most important thing to do in celebrating National Donate Life Blue & Green Day is to get dressed in the morning wearing green and blue.
Then, be sure to tell everyone why you’re decked out from head to toe in these colors. In the organization’s logo, the blue stands for the sky, the green stands for the earth and the spiral stands for the circle of life.
Wear a Donate Life T-Shirt
Those who have a special Donate Life t-shirt with the official logo should certainly consider wearing it on this important day.
Be sure to be ready with more information about how others at work, school or in the local community can also get involved by becoming organ donors.
Learn More About Organ Donation
If you aren’t sure about the necessity or importance of organ donation initiatives, or you want to brush up on information to share with others, check out the resources at Donate Life America’s website or at the federal Organ Donor site.
Get important facts and info about the modernization of the transplant network, as well as understanding more about the process.
Become an Organ Donor
Not sure if you’re an organ donor? In the US, one of the easiest ways to find out is to check on your driver’s license or state ID card as it is typically indicated on the card.
Those who don’t want to do it through their state or BMV can check out the options online at RegisterMe.org
Shop the Donate Life Store
One excellent way to help and promote the efforts of Donate Life America is to get involved by purchasing and wearing merchandise from the organization’s online store.
From green awareness wristbands and t-shirts to decals, magnets and flags, the proceeds from merchandise sales help to fund this important cause!
History of National Donate Life Blue & Green Day
The inaugural celebration of National Donate Life Blue & Green Day took place in 2012 when it was founded by the folks at the organization.
The purpose behind the day was to encourage more people to get involved with celebrating and raising awareness about the importance of eye, tissue and organ donation.
The event works in cooperation with National Donate Life Month.
Facts About National Donate Life Blue & Green Day
Organ Donation Meets Only A Fraction Of Global Need
The gap between patients who need transplants and available organs is enormous worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that only about 10 percent of global transplant needs are currently being met, with most procedures concentrated in higher‑income countries.
This shortage drives long waiting lists and has also prompted international efforts to improve ethical donation systems and crack down on organ trafficking.
One Donor Can Help Dozens Of Recipients
A single deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives by donating the heart, two lungs, liver, pancreas, two kidneys and intestine.
In addition, that same donor can improve the lives of more than 75 people through tissue donation, including skin for burn victims, bone and tendons for orthopedic surgery, and heart valves for patients with congenital or acquired heart disease.
Modern Organ Transplantation Grew From A 1954 Kidney Surgery
The first successful long‑term solid organ transplant took place in 1954 in Boston, when surgeons Joseph Murray and his team transplanted a kidney between identical twins.
The genetic match helped avoid immune rejection, and the recipient lived another eight years. This landmark surgery proved that organ transplantation could work and laid the groundwork for today’s transplant medicine, eventually earning Murray the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Immunosuppressant Drugs Transformed Transplant Survival
Before the 1980s, most organ transplants failed because the recipient’s immune system rejected the new organ. The introduction of the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine, first approved in the early 1980s, dramatically improved graft survival for kidneys, hearts and livers.
This breakthrough shifted transplantation from experimental to routine therapy for end‑stage organ failure in many countries.
Corneal Transplants Are The Most Common Type Of Transplant Worldwide
Unlike many other organs, donated corneal tissue can restore sight to people blinded by scarring, disease or injury.
The U.S. alone performs tens of thousands of corneal transplants each year, with reported success rates often exceeding 90 percent for many indications. Corneas can typically be recovered up to 24 hours after death and preserved for days, which helps eye banks match tissue to patients across wide regions.
Tissue Donation Extends Far Beyond Organs And Eyes
Donated tissues such as bone, tendons, ligaments, skin, and heart valves are used in more than a million medical procedures in the United States each year.
These grafts support everything from joint reconstruction and spinal surgery to burn treatment and dental repair. Many of these tissues can be processed and stored for months or years, making them a critical resource for planned and emergency surgeries alike.
Living Kidney Donation Has High Success And Low Mortality Risk
For suitable candidates, living kidney donation is generally considered safe, with careful medical screening to minimize risk.
In the United States, reported donor mortality is well under 1 in 3,000 procedures, and most donors return to normal activities within weeks.
Recipients of living donor kidneys often experience better long‑term outcomes than those who receive kidneys from deceased donors, in part because the surgery can be scheduled before the recipient’s health deteriorates further.
