August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, an observance highlighting the importance of saving and improving the quality of life of diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye and tissue donation. Originally established in 1996 as National Minority Donor Awareness Week by the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), the observance has grown into a month-long initiative. It focuses on increasing awareness, honoring donors, and encouraging healthy living among African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American communities.
Representation within multiethnic communities is very important to donation advocates like Dominique Bethea, Program Manager of Donate Life New York State, whose father was an eye donor and gave the gift of sight to two people. Her father spent years on the national kidney transplant waiting list. During that time, he dedicated himself to learning everything he could about organ, eye and tissue donation in an effort to better understand his health and options. His commitment to donation education and informed decision-making made a lasting impression on Dominique and the rest of his family and friends. When he passed away, they knew without hesitation that he wanted to donate his eyes.
Now, as part of her advocacy work, Dominique shares her father’s journey to honor his legacy and to encourage dialogue around the importance of donation—particularly in communities of color. During National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, she hopes his story serves as a powerful reminder of the lifechanging potential of eye, organ and tissue donation and the vital role education plays in dispelling myths, building trust, and empowering families to make informed choices.
If you can help someone, why wouldn’t you?
Through her work, Dominique extends her father’s legacy by encouraging New Yorkers to sign up on the NYS Donate Life Registry. If you have not signed up already, you can do so today by completing the form on our website.