Organ and tissue donation has captured the attention of the United States Postal Service, which last month issued a 32-cent organ donor postage stamp.
The post office said that the stamp has been issued "to raise visibility and increase awareness of a critical health care issue."
"This stamp can help save lives. It is an opportunity to call attention to a very worthwhile cause: raising awareness of the need for new organ and tissue donors," said J.T. Weeker, vice president of the Postal Service Great Lakes Area and a recent recipient of a kidney and pancreas transplant.
The stamp features an abstract computerized drawing of two intertwined figures whose hands are reaching inside each other and touching each other's heart. Beneath the drawing are the words "Organ & Tissue Donation" and, in larger type, "Share your life."
Fifty million of the stamps became available at post offices nationwide when the stamp was dedicated last month during the 1998 U.S. Transplant Games at Ohio State University. The Olympic-style games, designed for organ recipients, are presented by the National Kidney Foundation and sponsored by the pharmaceutical firm Novartis.
For Your Information:
National Kidney Foundation
800-622-9010 (phone)US Postal Service
http://www.usps.gov/
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