NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle High School student Spenser White wants to increase awareness of the need for organ donation – especially eye donations.
“People don’t realize that even if they have a medical condition like heart trouble or cancer, they can still be eye donors,” said Spenser “because the corneas don’t have blood flow so they’re not affected by most diseases or health conditions.”
Spenser recently ran an Eye Donation Awareness Booth at the Holy Family Parish Bi-Annual Blood Drive providing people with Organ Donor Registration Forms and asking people to like The Eye-Bank for Sight Restorations’s Facebook page to promote awareness through social media.
She wants to get the word out about the need for organ donation – especially in New York. “I was shocked to find out that New York is 49 out of 50 in registered organ donors,” Spenser said. “There are over 120,000 people in the US waiting for transplants and more than 10,000 are here in the New York City metro area.”
Spenser’s grandfather was the inspiration for this project.
“He was a veteran who always tried to help people,” she said. “When he found out he had cancer he was sad because he thought he couldn’t be an organ donor. But we found out that eye donation is still possible even for someone with cancer. I think that’s important information everyone needs to know.”
Spenser also gave away free cupcakes decorated like eyes to anyone who filled out a Donor Registration or liked the Facebook page. To register to become an eye and organ donor go to: http://www.eyedonation.org/ To like their Facebook page go to: facebook.com/EyeBankforSightRestoration
Spenser is planning another Eye Donation Awareness Booth on Monday May 25th at the New Rochelle Memorial Day Weekend at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, NY hosted by the United Veterans Memorial & Patriotic Association of New Rochelle.