Each year thousands of people die needlessly because of a shortage of organs available for transplantaiton. In this session you will learn:

• why organ donation is so important
  
• how to become an organ and tissue donor
  
• why minority donors are so desperately needed
  
• who can donate and who can receive
  
• how donors are matched to recipients
  
• and about life after donation and transplants.

LifeShare Of The Carolinas is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization designated by the federal government to serve 37 hospitals in a 23 county area of southwestern North Carolina and York County, South Carolina. The organization is based in Charlotte with a satellite office in Asheville. LifeShare works to improve the quality of human life by providing organs and tissues for transplantation and helping hospitals and their communities through educational and support services.

LifeShare is a member of the federally mandated Organ Procurement and Transplant Network and works closely with the United Network for Organ Sharing, which maintains the national computerized waiting list for potential transplant recipients. In addition to the organ procurement organization, LifeShare also operates a full-service Eye Bank.