University of Oregon student Bryant King was born with one leg and has had three kidney transplants throughout his lifetime, but he still coaches basketball at his high school and is active on campus. One of the organizations he’s involved in is the Public Relations Student Society of America, which recently coordinated a campaign to raise awareness about organ donation on campus.
The campaign is part of the National Organ Donation Awareness Competition between different schools PRSSA chapters. Each chapter pairs with a Donate Life chapter, which is an organization that encourages people to consider becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor.
UO’s PRSSA has been working with Donate Life Northwest for the past three years. Each organ donation awareness campaign that PRSSA has held focused on deceased organ donation, which means that an organ donor will be eligible to donate after they have passed away.
“I think just in general in our culture we don’t really like to talk about death, and the conversation of organ donation brings up this topic,” Aimee Adelmann, Donate Life NW Program Coordinator said.
She said that she hopes the campaign helps people understand donating their organs after they die, they could save up to eight people’s lives.
Still, she stressed the importance of having a rational conversation about donating and making sure it’s something someone genuinely wants to do.
This represents the idea behind the awareness campaign, as it encouraged students to have the conversation about donating with their family and friends.
“Really take that decision seriously and take it to heart and know that you can make such a huge difference and save so many lives,” said Tatiana Skomski, campaign coordinator. “But make sure you know the facts before you do.”
At PRSSA’s tabling event last week, there was a trivia wheel that asked questions about organ donations to help people learn more. Members also asked students to put their fingerprint on a piece of paper shaped like a duck’s foot and sign their name, signifying their pledge to discuss becoming an organ donor with people they know.
The duck’s foot coincided with the campaign’s slogan: “One Duck Saves Eight Lives.”
And while that’s true of organ donation, a tissue donor can potentially save 50.
67 people signed their names on the board and about five people registered at the table to become a donor.
“It was really fun to see the board fill up,” Skomski said. “We really just want to get people talking about it.”
PRSSA received second place for the awareness competition in 2013, and members will find out where they placed for the current campaign in a few months.
Despite everything King has gone through, he still participates in competitions like this one while maintaining a positive and goal-oriented attitude.
“You don’t know who you’re going to help by becoming an organ donor,” King said. “It’s a tough decision to make but it’s a very inspiring and self-rewarding one.”