'Donate Life' Flag Raised In Clinton

On the morning of April 8, a white flag was raised in the center of town. It was raised in front of a local group of town representatives and those involved in, and in support of, the Donate Life program.

The flag, a visual reminder that promotes awareness and public education of the program, will fly for the month of April which has been designated Donate Life awareness month. The program was brought to the Board of Selectmen for their support by locals Ken and Barbie Archer.

Awareness is all about empowering more people to donate, they said.

Statistics from the United Network for Organ Sharing indicate that right now 1,218 people in Connecticut are awaiting transplant donations. Though there are 1,048,000 registered donors in the state, that only represents 40% of licensed drivers.

Barbie Archer opened the ceremony sharing that she was a kidney donor recipient in 2007. She and her husband got involved with Donate Life and are now part of the Team Connecticut, “to give back.”

Says Archer, “I am doing fine, but would love to meet my donor family.”

They have given her the gift of life. She has written them many letters.

Donate Life Team CT has 40 members that meet regularly in the Yale New Haven area. Last year they traveled to Wisconsin for the 2010 Transplant Games, a celebration to thank donor families for the gift of life.

The group has a mission to honor organ and tissue donors, living donors and donor families by showcasing the health and wellness experienced by transplant recipients.

Also in attendance at the flag raising was Jeanne Lombardo from East Hartford. She is a donee wife and active in Team CT. Seeing her and Archer hug is representative of the ties that bind them. The gift of life for one is the living hope for the other, and it is a powerful connection.

First Selectman Willie Fritz said, “We encourage everyone to become a donor, it is amazing that we can save someone's life by doing so.”

“There are stories in the news all the time that touch everyone's lives...," he said. "This is a way to do something about it."

Caitlyn Bernabucci of LifeChoice introduced herself and “thanked Clinton, which joins over 50 other cities and towns in Connecticut in celebrating the life donors' give.”

LifeChoice, based out of Windsor, facilitates organ and tissue donations among 23 hospitals in the area, provides support to donor families in their decision and provides public education on the process.

To become a donor you can go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and register as such. You will receive a heart sticker for your license or ID which identifies you to emergency responders and hospitals. You can also become a donor by registering at www.donatelifenewengland.org.