Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network reports record numbers for organ donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana.
ITASCA, Ill. (January 23, 2025)—Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network announced today that Illinois and northwest Indiana surpassed milestones for life-saving organ donation for the third consecutive year with more than 500 individuals and their families in the region who said yes to donation.
The gifts from 526 organ donors made possible 1,495 life-saving transplants, an increase from 1,422 last year. In addition, 1,936 tissue donors donated bone, skin and other tissue to save or heal countless patients in need.
Gift of Hope and its work with donors, their families, hospitals, coroners, funeral directors and others involved in the process contributed to record donation and transplants across the country in 2024.
The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reported 48,149 organ transplants took place nationally in 2024 thanks to the selfless gifts of 16,988 deceased donors and 7,030 living donors.
As the non-profit organ procurement organization responsible for organ and tissue donation in the northern two-thirds of Illinois and Lake County, Ind., Gift of Hope is responsible for coordinating donation when an individual dies and is medically eligible. This includes carrying out the individual’s registered decision to be a donor or speaking with the family about the opportunity if the decision was left to them.
“I am grateful to all those who made the decision to be organ and tissue donors and the families we worked with in 2024. I honor each and every one of them for saying ‘yes’ to donation to save the lives of others,” said Harry Wilkins, MD, Gift of Hope President/CEO. “It is through the compassion and generosity of others that we are able to offer hope to the more than 100,000 people waiting on the national transplant waitlist for a second chance at life.”
Among its strategic initiatives, Gift of Hope began operations at the Gift of Hope Organ Donor Care Center at RUSH in September 2024, as Illinois’ first medical and surgical unit specifically dedicated to managing the recovery of life-saving organs from deceased organ donors.
The need for organ donation remains critical. More than 100,000 adults and children in the U.S.—including more than 5,000 in Illinois and Indiana—are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
A single person can save up to eight lives as an organ donor, enhance the lives of more than 75 people as a tissue donor, and help restore sight for up to two people.
Everyone is encouraged to learn the facts about donation and register their decision as a donor to offer hope to people in need of life-saving transplants.
Visit giftofhope.org and join the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry or Donate Life Indiana registry. A link is provided for residents of other states to find the donor registry where they live.
About Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is the nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides public education on donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana. As one of 55 OPOs that make up the nation’s organ donation system, Gift of Hope works with 180 hospitals and serves 12 million people in its donation service area. Since 1986, its work has saved the lives of more than 29,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. For more information, visit giftofhope.org.