Los Angeles Area Non-Profit OneLegacy Grows Into World's Largest Tissue Recovery Or...( Record 1960 Eye and Tissue Donors in ...),Health

Record 1,960 Eye and Tissue Donors in 2008 Benefit Tens of Thousands

LOS ANGELES, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- OneLegacy, the non-profit, federally designated organ and tissue recovery organization serving the seven-county greater Los Angeles area, has within the last year become the largest tissue recovery organization in the world, helping tens of thousands in need of cornea, bone, skin and other tissue transplants to lead more fulfilling lives.

Last year, OneLegacy recovered tissue from 1,960 donors, a 34 percent increase over the year prior and more than double the total from 2006. Of these donors, OneLegacy recovered corneas from 1,116; bone from 1,243; skin from 1,237; heart valves from 361; and veins from 226.

The astonishing growth of OneLegacy's tissue operations is a direct result of the organization's efforts to fulfill the growing need for tissue allografts, including corneas to prevent blindness; skin for healing burns; bone for fractures and to prevent amputation; heart valves to repair genetic defects; tendons for reconstructive knee surgeries; and veins for cardiac bypass surgery.

"The building of our tissue recovery capabilities, coupled with the generosity of donors and their families, has placed Los Angeles as the capital of tissue donation, giving us the opportunity to save and enhance 100,000 people's lives each year," said Tom Mone, chief executive officer and executive vice president of OneLegacy.

OneLegacy recovers tissue from deceased donors at hospitals, coroner offices and funeral homes, and then distributes the recovered tissue to large "processors" that prepare the allografts for medical application. Among OneLegacy's partners are Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), Tissue Banks International (TBI), CryoLife and RTI Donor Services.

A tissue recovery agency since 2003, OneLegacy has consolidated tissue recovery in the Los Ange
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