National Donate Life Month: Statistics show family's three-year campaign to raise awareness of organ donations is working

BENTON, Mo. -- Efforts by a Scott County family to raise awareness and educate about organ and tissue donations are working.

When Rhonda and Aaron Robert's 15-year-old son, Kaden Robert, died in June 2014, they knew their son had chosen to give the gift of life through organ and tissue donation, and they granted his wishes.

At the time of his death, Kaden had just completed his freshman year at Kelly High School in Benton. So in the spring of 2015, Rhonda Robert and her family wanted to raise awareness to others. They combined Kaden's love for baseball and April, which is Donate Life Month, to create the Green-Up Game Challenge.

Through the effort, Robert sent out a challenge to other area school districts to raise awareness and funds for the national organ and tissue donation organization, Donate Life. Following the Green-Up games, the home teams doused their coaches with green slime.

"The initial goal was to raise awareness and educate others on organ and tissue donations," Robert said. "What we've noticed since starting the awareness of organ and tissue donations is an increase of donors of families in our area."

From July 2014 to June 2016, statistics showed Department of Motor Vehicle/license bureaus in the Mid-America Transplant Services' area, which includes Southeast Missouri, showed an increase in donor registry.

For example, at the Jackson license bureau, the number of people signing the donor registry on their licenses increased 7 percent, and at the Chaffee bureau, it increased 3 percent, according to Mid-America Transplant Services.

"That's why I started this campaign, I know for sure it's made a difference in our area," Robert said.

In Mid-America Transplant's tri-state service area, 180 individuals provided lifesaving organ donations in 2016, the second-highest year for organ donors in the organization's history. Donations of kidneys, livers, lungs, hearts, pancreases and intestines resulted in 551 organs transplanted from donors within Mid-America Transplant's service area last year.

In 2016, Mid-America Transplant marked a record number of tissue donations, totaling 1,662 donors throughout eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas. These donations have the potential to provide more than 75,000 recipients with tissues including corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, tendons and veins.

The local and regional trends mirror the national trend.

There was a new milestone reached in 2016: more than 33,600 organ transplants were performed in the U.S, according to Donate Life. This number sets a record number of U.S. transplants for the fourth year in a row. The 2016 milestone represents an 8.5 percent increase in total number of organ transplants, and an almost 20 percent increase in number of organ transplants since 2012.

"Organ donation is something that is more of a need (than tissue) because that's the only thing that will save those 23 people who die every day waiting; however, one tissue donor can enhance the lives of at least 50 people," Robert said.

The elderly population is a group who may not realize they, too, have gifts to offer through organ and tissue donation, Robert said.

"Everyone has a gift to offer, and it's decided upon their death what gifts they'll be able to use. Age has nothing to do with it. Organ and tissue donations are not gender- or age-specific," Robert said.

On Thursday, the third annual Green-Up game was held at Kelly High School during the Kelly-Chaffee baseball game.

Several new individuals and their families were recognized during this year's game to show the impact the awareness campaign has made in the Scott County area. Included in the recognition was the family of Kelly High School student Remington Lambert, who died of injuries sustained in a car accident in October and donated his organs and tissue.

"Some of them we know made their decisions because of what we've done to raise awareness," Robert said of the local families.

One family member told Robert they thought Remington made his decision to be an organ donor after being educated through Robert's efforts following Kaden's death.

"Out of respect to those other families, it's not only about Kaden now," Robert said of the decision to honor other families. "He was the motivator behind us in doing this, and we've created awareness in the community and are motivating other families."

In addition to recognizing donor families and recipients, information and facts are also distributed during the Green-Up Games.

"We want people to be able to make an informed decision," Robert said.

Sikeston and Bell City high schools have also hosted Green-Up games this month. A Green-Up game is scheduled for April 28 during districts at Charleston where Kelly, East Prairie, Scott City and Charleston schools will participate.

"It's not about raising the money; we try to support our local transplant center," Robert said. "People know the term 'donate life,' but they're not as familiar with Mid-America Transplant Center, which serves our area and takes care of the local recipients and donor families."

In addition to raising awareness through the Green-Up Game Challenge, the Robert family have also impacted and educated citizens in their hometown of Benton and surrounding areas.

On April 3, the Benton Board of Alderman once again passed a proclamation declaring the month of April as Donate Life Month with the purpose of raising awareness for the need of organ, eye and tissue donations.

The Board recognized the local families of Kaden Robert, Nick Holt and Dominic Hooper -- all teens who died in 2014 and chose to donate life -- along with Remington Lambert, John Worley, Geneva Essner, Jerry Wolsey Sr. and Chris Helms who made the decision to donate life.

The city of Benton has also once again asked its businesses to "Green and Blue Up" in April. City officials encouraged business employees and community members to wear these colors to show their support and to decorate their businesses and homes in honor of their local heroes.

"Obviously, death is going to occur, and life will keep happening. Babies will be born," Robert said. "I'm hoping that people can find it in their hearts and do a very caring thing and pay their gift forward (through organ donation)."

Everybody has a purpose, and Robert said she thinks raising awareness of organ and tissue donations was God's purpose for her family.

"I know what it feels like on my side," Robert said. "I would have done anything to make my child's outcome different; sometimes the only thing that will save your child is a gift that someone's willing to give."

And sometimes nothing can be done to save their loved ones.

"That's why we're inspired to do this," Robert said. "There are gifts that people have and that can save people's children, and it's a commonality we have with the organ and tissue recipients' parents. I'm sure they're willing to do anything to save their children.

She continued: "I think that if you can find it in your heart to spare another parent grief and sorrow, it's a good thing."

Robert said she hopes to continue her mission. She's also researching other endeavors pertaining to organ and tissue donation, she said.

"Let your family know what your wishes are regarding organ and tissue donation," Robert said. "Once you determine you want to be a donor, you should register and sign the back of your driver's license. And the most important thing you can do is to tell your family."

If they know what a loved one's wishes are, then they don't have to second-guess or wonder what their wishes were, Robert said.

"There are a lot of decisions that have to be made when death occurs, and if you let your family know your wishes, that's one decision they won't have to make," Robert said.

For more information about organ and tissue donations, visit donatelife.net or www.midamericatransplant.org.