Lone Star Circle of Life Bike Tour

The Need

Mission Statement

To raise the awareness of the need for life-saving donations of blood, marrow, organs and tissues.

Blood

Blood is a vital, life-saving liquid with a limited shelf life, so the supply must be constantly replenished. More than 20 million units of blood components are transferred to about four million patients each year. About one out of every 20 Texans will need blood at some point in their lives. However, less than five percent of the eligible population in Texas donates blood. Supply and demand fluctuate, which can cause life-threatening shortages!

Marrow

Each year, 30,000 patients are diagnosed with a life-threatening disease that could be cured with a marrow transplant - if a match is found. Approximately 70 percent of the patients in need of a transplant rely on the National Marrow Donor Program to locate a volunteer, unrelated marrow donor.

Finding a marrow donor match is a difficult process and nearly half of those in need will not find a match on time.

Organs and Tissues

Transplantation is one of the most remarkable success stories in the history of medicine. It is often the only hope for thousands of people suffering from organ failure or in desperate need of a life-enhancing or life-saving tissue. As of May 2008, the United Network for Organ Sharing reports that more than nearly 100,000 Americans await organs while hundreds of thousands more could benefit from tissue transplants. 8,000 of these are Texans.  Each day, an average of 18 people die while waiting for an organ.

Organs than can be transplanted include heart, liver, lungs, kidney, pancreas and small bowel. Tissues used in transplant include bone, skin, heart valves, corneas, veins, cartilage and tendons.

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