Donate Life Month: Sign up to be an organ donor
[Revised April 15, 2024]
Every April during Donate Life month, the front plaza of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center becomes a beautiful tribute to the power of organ donation. Transplant recipients and volunteers from Ohio State's Comprehensive Transplant Center and Lifeline of Ohio plant thousands of pinwheels, each representing a lifesaving transplant performed at Ohio State since 1967.
In 2024, we planted 12,500 pinwheels! That's 12,500 organ transplants!
Why pinwheels?
Each pinwheel has eight spokes supported by one stem, symbolic of the power of one person to save up to eight lives through organ donation and the gift of life.
You can save lives!
Nearly than 2,500 Ohioans are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, while only 60 percent of Ohio residents are registered donors.
As central Ohio's only adult Comprehensive Transplant Center, we see daily how organ donation gives years of healthy life back to very sick people - often our neighbors and our Ohio State alums.
More than 103,000 Americans need a transplant. That's more than enough to fill Ohio Stadium.
Register to be a Buckeye For Life
There are many quick and easy ways to register to be an organ donor.
For iPhone users, you can use the iPhone Health app to sign up.
You can also sign up right now at registerme.org or learn more on our #Buckeye4Life page.
More from Ohio State
Pig kidneys in humans? Such breakthroughs could shorten wait lists for transplants
New Organ Recovery Team makes Ohio State transplant surgery smoother than ever
A unique team that just celebrated its first anniversary this January has helped facilitate more than 550 total transplants at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Comprehensive Transplant Center, making these procedures more efficient and more likely to be successful. Year 2 for Ohio State’s Organ Recovery Team — one of just a handful in the United States — looks even brighter.
How long do transplanted organs last?
If you’re suffering from a failing organ, a transplant can restore your life. Learn more about organ transplant and how long transplant organs last from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center's transplant experts.
