Fresenius Medical Care organizes Organ Donation Day

"Give life a chance" was the motto under which Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest provider of dialysis products and services, informed employees in Bad Homburg yesterday about organ donation. Individuals not only need to be well informed and carefully consider whether or not they wish to make an organ donation: Above all, they need to make a decision. 

"Fresenius Medical Care supports organ transplantation,” said Dr. Katarzyna Mazur-Hofsäß, Fresenius Medical Care's Chief Executive Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa. “For our patients with chronic kidney disease, a future worth living includes hope for a transplant, and that is exactly what we are preparing our patients for in our dialysis clinics. We want to educate and inform today, because during their lifetimes many people do not make a decision about a possible donation of their organs.” 

Mayor Alexander Hetjes of Bad Homburg welcomed Fresenius Medical Care’s support for organ transplantation. “I’m very happy when companies in Bad Homburg also get involved in debates about social issues,” the mayor said. “To me it’s important to talk with many people about organ donation, so that we can all be better informed when making this very personal decision.”

Two organ donor recipients reported on their experiences via video, and medical information was explained to the employees by Dr. Anja Brückel of the German Organ Transplantation Foundation. "In Germany, more than 9,000 seriously ill people are waiting for a donor organ,” Dr. Brückel said. “For them, transplantation is the only way to survive or significantly improve their quality of life. However, this is only possible if people are willing to donate their organs. That’s why it is important to address the issue of organ donation during one’s lifetime, make close relatives aware of the decision, and fill out an organ donor card.”

The foundation made organ donation cards available to interested employees. Mayor Hetjes, Dr. Mazur-Hofsäß and Dr. Brückel together planted a traditional gingko, the tree of life, in front of Fresenius’ new EK3 headquarters building. And after a raffle among employees raised €770 the company announced it would increase that amount 10-fold, for a total donation of €7,700 to Kinderhilfe Organtransplantation, a German charity that supports children undergoing transplants and their families.