Community Tissue Services of Indiana and Indiana Lions Eye & Tissue Transplant Bank Celebrating the Gift of Tissue and Eye Donation

Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu, M.D. will serve as guest speaker at Community Tissue Services and Indiana Lions Eye and Tissue Bank’s special event.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - In remembrance of tissue and eye donors, Community Tissue Services of Indiana (CTS-I) and the Indiana Lions Eye & Tissue Transplant Bank (ILETTB) will be hosting its annual Celebration of the Gift (Tissue, Eye and Organ Donation) on Sunday, July 11, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Oak Hill Mansion located at 5801 East 116th Street in Carmel, Indiana.

The Celebration of the Gift is to honor those who gave the gift of life and their families who consented to tissue and eye donation. During a difficult time, families make the decision to provide the final gift from their loved ones, which can save several lives and improve the quality of lives of many others.

"I want to thank the Community Tissue Services of Indiana and the Indiana Lions Eye & Tissue Transplant Bank for their continued commitment to raise the numbers of tissue and eye donations throughout the region," Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D. said. "As a husband and father to two organ donors, I know how our hearts were brightened during the
darkest hours our family faced, because we knew that our loss would lead to a brighter tomorrow for so many other people. I encourage every American to think about becoming an organ donor and talking about that decision with their loved ones."

Thousands of patients are in need of tissue and organs to live healthier and longer lives. One donor can save and/or improve the quality of life of up to seventy-five people. Bone grafts
are used for many joint replacement surgeries such as repairing a broken hip or straightening the spine of a person with scoliosis. Ligaments and tendons are most commonly used to replace torn tissues caused by athletic injuries. Heart valves can save the lives of people with defective heart valves. Burn patients receive skin grafts, which are used as a temporary covering to reduce pain and lower the chance of infection. A transplanted cornea, which is the clear front window of the eye, can give sight to a person who has damage due to a disease, congenital disorder or trauma. Vein and artery grafts re-establish blood circulation in patients with coronary artery disease.

For more information on the Celebration of the Gift (Tissue, Eye and Organ Donation) please contact Amy Moeder, Public Relations/Marketing Coordinator for Community Tissue Services at (800) 684-7793, ext. 3364.

Community Tissue Services (CTS) is an independent, not-for-profit organization. Community Tissue Services serves the public through procurement and distribution of human tissue donations used for transplantation. Community Tissue Services is composed of seven regional offices and two satellite facilities: Dayton, Ohio (Corporate Office); Fort Worth, Texas; Fresno, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Toledo, Ohio. Satellite locations: Boise, Idaho and Medford, Oregon. Community Tissue Services is ISO 9001-2000 Registered. For more information about Community Tissue Services, visit www.communitytissue.org.

The Indiana Lions Eye & Tissue Transplant Bank (ILETTB) is a non-profit organization and a member of the Tissue Banks International Network (TBI) and the Eye Bank Association of America. ILETTB is the primary provider of ocular tissue for transplant and other ophthalmic surgeries throughout the state of Indiana. For more information about ILETTB visit www.ilettb.org.

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