LifeLink of Georgia welcomes Desonuia Wise to MDE program

DESONUIA J. WISE

LifeLink of Georgia, the non-profit, federally designated organ recovery organization which facilitates the recovery of organs and tissue for transplantation therapy, welcomes Desonuia Johnson Wise to its Minority Donation Education Program (MDEP). Desonuia will educate African Americans about the importance of organ and tissue donation in Columbus and Albany.

A native of Batavia, Illinois, Desonuia relocated to Columbus with her military family and has been a resident for the past 10 years. She received an undergraduate degree in business administration and marketing from Talladega College in Alabama and a graduate degree in health care policy and administration from Mercer University in Atlanta. Desonuia is a member of Holsey Monumental Christian Methodist Church; member of the Columbus Alliance for Battered Women; cellist in the Columbus Community Orchestra; member of the Auxiliary to the Columbus - Fort Benning Medical Society; and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In addition to her community commitments, she is married and has two young daughters.

"It is a pleasure to represent LifeLink, an organization committed to saving lives," said Desonuia. "My experiences gained as a health career coordinator will allow me to contribute to the mission of LifeLink and I look forward to partnering with organizations, churches, and schools in Columbus, Albany, and South Georgia."

"LifeLink is delighted to have Desonuia as part of the MDEP team," said Bobby Howard, Manager. "As the number of minorities added to the national transplant waiting list continues to increase at an escalating rate, it is imperative that LifeLink continue to increase its visibility and education in the multicultural community in Georgia. One of our goals is to have African Americans take action and sign up to be organ donors on the state donor registry. Having Desonuia in South Georgia will allow more people to be educated about organ donation."

Currently, there are over 96,000 Americans waiting for organ transplants. More than 2,100 people listed for life-saving organ transplants are in Georgia; 56 percent of those waiting are minorities; and nearly twothirds listed for kidney transplant in Georgia are African American. "The donation rate for African Americans in Georgia is 41 percent, compared to the national rate of 13 percent," said Howard. "This means that African Americans in Georgia attribute to saving many lives through organ donation."

Invite LifeLink to present information about organ and tissue donation to your civic group, church, school, or corporation or to become an organ and tissue donor, sign up on the state organ donor registry or contact LifeLink for a family notification card at 1-800-544-6667 or http://www.life linkfound.org.