(IndependentTribune.com) - By Josh Lanier - It may sound like the title of a country song, but the "Hearts Prevail" bill was a major shift in how the state handles organ donation. One year later, it's starting to glean results.
State House Bill 1372, better know as the aforementioned "Heart's Prevail," made the little red heart on the bottom of driver's licenses more of a contract and less of a suggestion. Prior to the new law, heart or not, family members of the deceased had to give permission to allow surgeons to obtain the organs, which took time and didn't always garner results.
North Carolina changed those rules in October 2007, and in the year since it's inception, organ procurement is up 15 percent. Eye donations are up 56 percent.
"It means a lot of that the wishes of the decedent are being recognized and people are getting help through these organs," said Rep. Dale Folwell, author of the bill.
In March 2007, before the bill was drafted, North Carolina ranked fifth in number of people who signed up for organ donation, but was 16th in the number of organs donated, state official said. That disconnect came from family members who declined to sign waivers or procurement agents being unable to locate them in time.
"It's significant when you think about the fact that the average donor ... can donate 3.5 organs," said Debbie Gibbs, spokesperson for LifeShare Carolina, one of three procurement agencies in the state. "When you do the math, that's hundreds of lives in North Carolina that could be saved. This legislation made a difference."
Since October 2007, 273 North Carolina residents have donated organs. The state currently has 3,000 on its donor list and the country has nearly 100,000 waiting for organs.
The push for donor registration and new legislation has helped get more people aware of organ donation, but the third, and possibly biggest, contributor to the awareness battle is former Concord resident Jason Ray.
Ray, an honor student at the University of North Carolina who portrayed the school's mascot, Rameses, was killed last year after he was struck by a car while walking to a store between games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in New Jersey.
Ray was an organ and tissue donor. One hundred and twenty-one people received an organ or tissue from Ray after his death, officials said.
ESPN's story entitled "Ray of Hope" told the reasons he donated and the recipients of those organs. Since that story ran last year, his parents, Emmitt and Charlotte Ray, both Concord residents, have become advocates for donation, speaking at fundraisers and educational events.
"With the legislation, the online registry and the Rays, this has been one of the biggest years in terms of educating the public on organ donation," Gibbs said.
