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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ Donation Registry Day |
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was observed in Texas on February 26, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Each year, Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ Donation |
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Registry Day encourages citizens across the Lone Star State to |
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register to become donors and to participate in local blood drives; |
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while donations play an essential role in a broad range of critical |
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medical treatments, only two percent of the population is on the |
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national registry for bone marrow, and only about half of Americans |
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are signed up to be organ donors; moreover, while an estimated 37 |
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percent of U.S. residents are eligible to donate blood, less than 10 |
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percent of that group actually does so each year; and |
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WHEREAS, A single organ donor can save up to eight lives and |
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enhance the lives of up to 75 others; there are currently over |
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105,000 individuals on the national transplant waiting list, with a |
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new name added every 10 minutes; although there are more than 40,000 |
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transplants performed annually, 17 people die each day while |
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waiting for organs to become available; and |
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WHEREAS, Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ Donation Registry Day |
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was initiated to honor Dr. Anh Nguyen Reiss, a Houston physician |
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who was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome and who dedicated |
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the last years of her life to raising awareness of the need for bone |
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marrow donors; though she passed away on February 26, 2016, at the |
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age of 48, she and her family and friends helped more than double |
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the number of Vietnamese donors on the registry; on May 29, 2019, |
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Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill of the 86th Texas Legislature to |
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designate February 26 as Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ Donation |
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Registry Day; and |
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WHEREAS, Bone marrow, blood, and organ donation can give hope |
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to countless Americans for longer, healthier lives, and this worthy |
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cause is one that deserves the earnest support of every citizen; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ |
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Donation Registry Day 2023 and encourage all Texans to give blood |
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and to sign up to become organ and bone marrow donors. |