© 2023 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Stony Brook University: First In Nation In Enrolling Student Organ Donors

Courtesy of Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University’s organ donor registration program has been recognized as the number one college enrollment site in New York State.

Five years ago campus volunteers partnered with LiveOnNY, a nonprofit that works to increase donor enrollment across the state. Since then, Stony Brook students have signed up more than 1,400 new donors to the state’s organ donation list. 

Sophomore volunteer Antonio Dash helped recruit students to sign up. He says myth busting is part of his outreach work.  

“Some people had concerns about, “oh, I’m not going to be seen at hospitals,” and all that. And I told them, I said, “That’s really just a stigma.” And I understand that. I had that too. I had that fear as well, until I learned more about it. I realized that it’s really for a greater cause.” 

Dash also says most major religions support organ donation – another concern that students have raised to him. 

2019 was the fourth year in a row that Stony Brook enrolled the most new donors of any New York campus. 

Desiree reports on the lives of military service members, veterans, and their families for WSHU as part of the American Homefront project. Born and raised in Connecticut, she now calls Long Island home.