Ohio's 12th Congressional District & Organ Donation
Top 3 Donation Takeaways
- Only 1% of all deaths in the United States happen in a manner where organ donation is a potential.
- Anyone can register to be an organ donor. At the age of 18, this decision is legally binding.
- More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant – approximately 2,500 of those waiting are Ohioans.
Honoring Donation in 2024
While the need for registered donors is great, we do want to pause to thank the heroic donors who saved and healed lives last year in Lifeline of Ohio's service area.
Hero Tribute – Rowe’s Story
By donor dad and heart recipient Adam Burkhart
My name is Adam Burkhart, and every once in a while, a very special gift comes your way, and sometimes that very special gift comes on a very special day. For my wife and I, that special gift was our third daughter, Rowe Catherine Burkhart. She was born on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2019. What an amazing Mother’s Day gift for my wife, Kali.
Rowe was such a good baby. She was always smiling, playful, and like all babies, loved to be held. She had the absolute cutest and most contagious smile. Rowe was a very normal, active, beautiful baby girl.
However, at just four months old, Rowe became a hero of donation.
Please read Rowe’s whole story here.
Ohio Heart Recipient Advocates on Capitol Hill
Items of Note About Donation
District Donor Registration Rates
In the 12th District, donor registration rates are mainly above the national and state’s average:
- Athens County – 62%
- Coshocton County – 62%
- Delaware County – 69.4%
- Fairfield County – 63.9%
- Guernsey County – 60.4%
- Holmes County – 47.3%
- Knox County – 67.9%
- Licking County – 67.9%
- Morgan County – 60.6%
- Muskingum County – 66.9%
- Perry County – 63.4%
- Tuscarawas County – 60.2%
A New Way to Register Donors!
In August 2025, anyone registering for their hunting and fishing license in the State of Ohio can now register to become an organ donor!
Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 256 into law in December of 2024. Thanks to the work of Rep. Kevin D. Miller and Rep. Rodney Creech as well as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, this will open access to the Ohio Donor Registry to a whole new group of people.
Fact Sheet, Stats and Service Area
- Ohio Organ Procurement Organizations
- The national transplant waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant is rising at an alarming rate, with more than 100,000 people currently on the list.
- In Ohio, more than 2,500 people are waiting for an organ transplant, and hundreds more await tissue and corneal transplants.
- Approximately 20 times each day, an individual dies for lack of an available organ. Once every 48 hours, an Ohioan dies waiting.
- Last year, 48,137 organ transplants were performed in the United States. And more than 2.5 million tissue transplants were performed.
How does an Ohioan register as a donor?
Ohioans may declare their wish to become a donor by registering online through www.donatelifeohio.org. Additionally, individuals may declare their decision when at the BMV.
The Ohio Donor Registry is an individual’s first-person authorization to donate the gift of life at the time of their death, if possible, through organ, eye and tissue donation.
Donate Life Ohio encourages everyone to talk to their loved ones about their donation decision. When the next of kin knows their loved one’s decision at the time of death, it is one of the most helpful steps a grieving family can take to deal with its loss.
National Organ Donation Facts and Stats
OPO Oversight
Donation Process
US Highlights
District 12 Donate Life Month Events
Athens County
April 11 @ 12:00 Noon – OhioHealth O’Bleness Flag Raising and donation registration table.
Delaware County
April 7 @ 12:00 Noon – OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital Flag Raising and donation registration table. Dublin Methodist serves Franklin, Delaware and Union Counties.
April 16 @ 12:00 Noon – OhioHealth Grady Memorial Flag Raising and donation registration table.
Guernsey County
April 1 @ 11:00 a.m. – OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center Flag Raising and donation registration table.
Knox County
April 10 @ 11:30 a.m. – Knox Community Hospital Flag Raising and donation registration table.
Licking County
Licking Memorial Hospital will host a donation registration table in April.
Muskingum County
Genesis Hospital will host a donation registration table in April.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Encourages Ohioans to Register
Donor parents Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine share this very special message encouraging all Ohioans to register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Their daughter, Becky, was a tissue and cornea donor who healed many through her gifts of donation.