Rep. Allison Hepler (second row, second from left) recently joined Gov. Janet Mills (front, center), Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (front, far right), medical professionals and national advocates for organ donation at a State House event hosted by Donate Life on April 10. The organization invited Hepler to speak at their annual Maine event to advocate for organ donation and to share her own story as donor spouse. Courtesy of the House Democratic Office
Rep. Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, spoke at an event on April 10 to advocate for organ donation and to share her own story as a donor’s spouse. In 1997, Hepler’s husband died after a workplace fall, but because of his decision to be an organ donor, he saved multiple lives.
“Making the decision to go forward with organ donation when your loved one is dying is something everyone should consider,” Hepler said. “I think of it as a final act of love.”
According to Donate Life New England, last year alone, organ donors saved more than 28,000 lives, and every donor can save up to eight lives and enhance over 75 more. It is easy to become an organ donor in the state of Maine. Donors can either register online or opt in when submitting or renewing a driver’s license application.
Donate Life is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the number of donated organs, eyes and tissues available for transplantation “while developing a culture where donation is embraced as a fundamental human responsibility,” according to its website. Originally founded under the name Coalition on Donation in 1992, the organization has registered 170 million donors in the U.S. in the past 30 years.
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