Car show raises awareness of organ, tissue donation in Colorado
There are about 1,300 Coloradans who are waiting for a live saving transplant. There are 10's of thousands more people who need a tissue transplant each year. Tissue transplants help those suffering from trauma, disease, and blindness. Donor Alliance coordinates those donations.
"For us, it has just brought such heeling to take a tragedy and turn it into something positive and just give many people some hope," said Judy Thompson, a volunteer advocate with Donor Alliance and the president of Take Jake Foundation.
Thompson lost her son, Jake, in 2009 from a car accident. Jake's family was able to donate his organs which ended up saving six people's lives.
" He was quite a character. He was 21-years-old and lived life to the fullest, every single day. He had never ever met a stranger so that's what led us to create the Take Jake Foundation as a way to celebrate the life that he lived, the life that he gave, and it's a great way to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation," Thompson told CBS News Colorado.
Take Jake is a nonprofit organization that raise awareness about organ and tissue donation through various community events. On Saturday, October 5, 2024, the Take Jake Car and Bike Show is being held in Northglenn at the Tony Roma's in the Delta/Marriott.
"That's why Donor Alliance is appreciative of our advocate volunteers, like Judy, who is out with us in the community telling people about her son's story to really educate and inspire people about registering to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor," said Heather Burke, Communications Manager for Donor Alliance.
One person can save up to 8 lives through organ donation; and you can save and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation.
"So when you go to the DMV, when you way 'yes' to registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor, you'll receive that little heart with a 'y' on your driver's license or id, and as we see that little heart has a big impact," Burke explained. "It's so important, sharing that decision with your family. One thing that Donor Alliance has heard is families tell us that during a difficult time, knowing a loved one's decision really provided them comfort in that situation."