LifeShare Oklahoma will celebrate Donate Life Month this April with the theme “Making Life’s Milestones Possible,” highlighting the lifesaving impact of organ, eye and tissue donation while marking 40 years of service.

From first steps and birthdays to graduations, weddings and the quiet moments in between, life is defined by milestones both large and small. For individuals waiting for a lifesaving transplant, those moments carry even greater meaning — they carry hope.

Today, more than 800 Oklahomans are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, relying on the generosity of organ, eye and tissue donors to give them the chance to experience life’s most meaningful moments.

Throughout April, Life-Share will commemorate four decades of lifesaving work and the countless lives touched through the gift of donation and transplantation. The organization will host several events across Oklahoma during the month to raise awareness, honor donors and donor families, and encourage residents to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.

This year’s celebration also highlights Life-Share’s 40th anniversary. The Donate Life Month logo features four candles on a cake, each symbolizing a decade of hope and healing. Similarly, each of the four hearts honors Oklahomans impacted by donation; organ, tissue, eye and living donor heroes.

“For 40 years, Life-Share has seen the extraordinary impact of donors and their families who chose hope in the midst of loss,” said Jeffrey Orlowski, President and CEO of LifeShare Network. “During Donate Life Month, we celebrate their generosity and the lives they have transformed.”

Donate Life Month is observed each April nationwide to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation, encourage donor registration and honor the donors and families who make transplantation possible.

LifeShare encourages Oklahomans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to share their decision with their families. One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of many more through tissue and eye donation.

For more information about Donate Life Month, upcoming events and to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor, visit LifeShareOK.org.