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Inside this issue
  Join us in Supporting Donate Life Month and living donors!  
  More than 113,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in the United States. While many people will receive organs from deceased donors, living donation provides another avenue for people to give the gift of life.

Sixteen years ago, Donate Life America established National Donate Life Month to celebrate those who have saved lives by donating and to encourage people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. Living donation not only reduces a patient's time on the wait list; living organs typically survive longer, and patients experience fewer complications. In 2018, nearly 7,000 living donor transplants were performed.

The Chronic Disease Coalition is a proud supporter of living organ donation. In April, the CDC worked alongside Donate Life Northwest and the American Kidney Fund to educate lawmakers about living donation and institute insurance protections for living donors through Oregon Senate Bill 796. The legislation sailed through the state Senate and will be heard in the House Committee on Business and Labor on May 1.

Show your support for this legislation by sending a letter to Oregon's lawmakers here.
 

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  In The News:  
 
 

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Katherine Soto

Katherine Soto is no stranger to chronic disease. She was diagnosed with kidney reflux at the age of 2 and has spent the past 20 years on dialysis.

"One of the toughest things about dialysis is you don't know what's coming next. Out of nowhere, you could contract an infection that kills you within a few hours. I encourage people to take it one day at a time and hope for the best," explains Soto.

Read more here.
 

Baylor basketball star battles opponents on the court, and chronic disease off 

Baylor basketball star Lauren Cox helped lead her team to the NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship earlier this month. But more impressively, Cox has been able to manage Type 1 diabetes throughout her athletic career.

Read more about Cox and how she has balanced diabetes and basketball here.

5 states putting patients' health over insurers' profits

State lawmakers are taking the lead in protecting patients from harmful step therapy practices and copay accumulator programs. Patient-centered legislation in Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia is moving through the legislative process. The Chronic Disease Coalition is proud of these efforts to ensure patients have access to the treatment they need.

Read more about this activity here.
 

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