As flags climbed flagpoles at hospitals throughout the Ohio Valley this past week, the message was clear — organ donation is one of the most important decisions one can make for others.

The “Donate Life” flags are flying in celebration of National Donate Life Awareness Month, a reminder of the need for organ donors across the country. In the Ohio Valley, guest speakers offered examples of how organ donation can change lives for the better. They talked about their family members who have been donor organ recipients and the years those gifts have given them to spend more time with their families.

“Choosing to be an organ donor is a profound act of compassion, saving lives, restoring hope for a healthier future and bringing healing not only to the recipients, but to the families who love them today,” said Amy White, a nuclear medicine technician at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital, whose father will celebrate seven years this July as the recipient of a heart transplant.

Fortunately, many around the region have heeded the call and more choose to do so each year. Chad Trahan, the chief clinical officer for the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, said his organization marked its seventh consecutive year increasing the number of lives saved through organ donation.

Yet there is plenty of room for more people to make the choice to be an organ donor. It’s as simple as registering at RegisterMe.org or organdonor.gov or when you renew your license. That decision can have a ripple effect that stretches across many lives. Please consider providing that gift to others.