Lauren Shields was just 9 years old when she began experiencing heart failure and was diagnosed with viral myocarditis, which caused her heart to swell and lose its ability to pump blood through the body. Desperately in need of a new heart, the Rockland County resident was added to New York’s organ transplant list. During the six-week wait for a new heart, Lauren’s condition got progressively worse and she was placed in a medically induced coma.

Thankfully, Lauren received a heart transplant and today, she lives a healthy, active life. She has become a donor advocate so that others in need can get a second chance at life. But sadly, not everyone is as lucky as Lauren – it’s estimated that one person on New York’s transplant list dies every 15 hours.

You can help change that statistic by becoming an organ donor today. In fact, not only can one donor save up to eight lives, but that same donor can also help improve the lives of 50 others. The month of April is recognized as National Donate Life Month to bring awareness to the growing need for organ donors, especially here in New York where more than 10,000 people are waiting for organ transplants and a new name is added to the list every two and a half hours.

Lauren’s story led to the passage of Lauren’s Law in 2012, which made it easier for people to become registered organ donors by including it as an option on the New York State driver’s license and non-driver identification card applications. Currently, just 22 percent of New Yorkers age 18 and over have pledged to help give the gift of life by enrolling in the New York State Donate Life Registry as organ, tissue and eye donors – that’s half the national average. New York is in desperate need of more donors, and I encourage you and your loved ones to consider joining the registry to help save as many lives as possible.

To become a registered organ donor in New York State, you can apply in person at your local Department of Motor Vehicles, sign up online at the Live On NY web site or download the form at health.ny.gov/donatelife and mail it in. Additionally, you can sign up when you register to vote at the Board of Elections or by visiting organdonor.gov.