Each day 22 people die while waiting for a life-saving organ donation but a local hospital is working to bridge the gap by promoting the importance of signing up to be an organ donor.

On Tuesday morning, staff and administrators of Sycamore Shoals Hospital kicked off National Donate Life Month with a small flag-raising ceremony and an organ donor sign up drive.

“Currently 119,000 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant,” said Zach Thurber, the Hospital Services Coordinator for Tennessee Donor Services. “Around 2,900 people in Tennessee are waiting.”

Sycamore Shoals Hospital CEO Duane Taylor spoke about the significance of deciding to become an organ donor.

“Something terrible that happens to some can turn into something wonderful for others,” Taylor said.

Both Taylor and Sycamore Shoals Hospital Nurse Manager Gina Tucker offered high praise for Brenda Whisenhunt, RN, who serves as a volunteer with Tennessee Donor Services and helps this hospital educate the public on the importance of being an organ donor.

“She has been tireless and persistent in being the voice of organ procurement for Carter County,” Tucker said of Whisenhunt.

Having worked in the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital for 25 years, Whisenhunt has seen the impact organ donation can have on a family — both those who receive the transplant and the family of those who were lost but chose to donate life to others.

While nothing can replace the person who was lost, Whisenhunt said some families find some comfort in donating their loved one’s organs or tissues. “They feel like their loved one lives on,” she said. “That tragedy has helped somebody.”

According to the Donate Life America organization, one person who signs up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor can save and heal more than 75 lives. The organization said while there have been advances in medical technology, the demand for organ, eye, and tissue donation still vastly exceeds the number of donors.

Statistics provided by Donate Life America say that every 10 minutes a person is added to the national transplant waiting list in this country and each day 22 people die while waiting for an organ.

Whisenhunt said anyone who would like to sign up to be an organ donor or would like more information on organ and tissue donation can sign up at the hospital or can call 423-542-1345 and ask to speak with her.

Those seeking more information or wanting to register as a donor can also visit the Donate Life America website at www.donatelife.net.