Since I first stepped on the Assembly floor, raising awareness about organ donation has been a personal issue to me and one of my top priorities. One of the most important statistics is that one person who donates at the time of their death can save up to eight lives and impact the lives of 75 others.

According to Donate Life New York, our state ranks 47th out of 52 states and territories in total organ donor enrollment. We have a 51% enrollment rate while the national average is 64%. As a state, we have the third-greatest need for organs but the sixth-worst enrollment rate.

Nearly 8,000 New Yorkers are on the waiting list for a transplant, and 1,000 of those people have been waiting for more than five years. Tragically, last year, nearly 400 New Yorkers died while waiting for a life-saving organ........

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