SAN ANTONIO, TX — Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) has launched a new public service announcement to air in Central and South Texas promoting the need for organ donors.
TOSA is the organ procurement organization that provides organ recovery services for individuals and families who want to save lives through the power of organ donation. The
¡Sea Valiente y Done Vida! campaign draws inspiration from
lotería, also commonly known as Mexican bingo, and the popular character
El Valiente to encourage the public to sign up with Donate Life Texas, the state's official registry for organ, eye and tissue donors.
In the PSA, a young girl finds
lotería cards in her grandmother's house and asks what the cards are for. Her grandmother explains the pictographs meanings and how they have a special connection to their family. The PSA was filmed in the Austin area and was also shot in Spanish.
In Texas, 11,000 children, women and men await a life-saving organ transplant. There is such a critical need for organ donors that 22 people die each day because an organ wasn't available in time to save their lives. However, a single donor can save eight lives and impact the lives of more than 75 others through eye
and tissue donation.
"Individuals who make the decision to be life-saving donors and the families who make the choice on behalf of their loved one show tremendous courage when giving others a second chance at life through organ donation," said TOSA CEO Dr. Joseph Nespral. "Re-creating the
lotería card celebrates the power we all have to save lives."
Art from
¡Sea Valiente y Done Vida! was created by Janie Villarreal McClinchie of San Antonio who has a special connection to organ donation. In 2013, her relative Krizia Keiser of Laredo saved three lives as a registered organ donor.
To promote the campaign, TOSA will participate in community events throughout Central and South Texas, giving T-shirts with
El Luchador to individuals who sign up to be organ donors, while supplies last.
Texans are encouraged to register at the Texas Department of Public Safety or the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. For information on organ donation, community initiatives or to register online, visit TOSA1.org.