Donate Life ECHO

Promoting Awareness for Organ and Tissue Donation in Multicultural Communities

Donate Life ECHO is a national campaign, running from July 9th to July 22nd, to highlight the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation in multicultural communities. ECHO stands for Every Community Has Opportunity – the opportunity to save and heal lives.

Why Is The Donate Life ECHO Campaign So Important?

Approximately 58% of people currently on a transplant waiting list in the US are minorities. And yet, only 44% of people who received a transplanted organ in 2016 were minorities.

There is especially a greater need for lifesaving kidney transplants in the African American and Hispanic communities due to higher instances of diabetes and hypertension, and the highest success rate for transplant matches comes from members of the same ethnic or racial group, according to research shared by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). This means that there is an increased need for multicultural donors in our country.

Our multicultural communities play an important role in organ and tissue donation in the United States. Not only do they need transplants at a higher rate, but they also have a great opportunity to help save or improve a life by becoming a donor. Additionally, they help make up the team of medical professionals who provide care throughout the donation and transplant process.

How To Get Involved

One of the main goals of the ECHO campaign is to get people talking. If you have a personal story of organ or tissue donation, you are encouraged to share it with the community. You can visit DonateLife.net/ECHO to find more information on how to participate, as well as downloadable resources, including profile pictures and banner images to use with your social media account.