Basketball and Transplants

April is organ donation awareness month. With approximately 120,000 Americans currently awaiting a life-saving organ transplant and about 20 of them dying every day waiting, it is good that a former NBA player was recently honored for giving the gift of life to many through organ and tissue donation.

West's silhouette serves as the current NBA logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jerome Kersey's life was cut short in 2015 by a blood clot that traveled from his leg to his lung. He was recently honored by Donate Life Northwest at a Portland Trailblazers basketball game. The 17-year NBA vet was a hero in death saving the lives of several, including several children, and giving sight to 4 people through cornea donation.

Kersey's gifts not only helped many people but also give a sense of comfort and peace to his daughter, Kiara, who misses him dearly. "What it means to me personally is my dad's legacy hasn't died and that he's still paying it forward," she said. For the ones Kersey helped, he will always be remembered as a hero.

You can be a hero, too, by registering as an organ and tissue donor. For more information about organ and tissue donation, including how to register in the state where you live, please visit Donate Life America's website by clicking here.

Read more: attn.com article - "How One Late NBA Players Simple Choice Is Saving Lives"

Related articles

• Jerome Kersey continues to give with organ donations (koin.com)