'Donate Life' Month Kicks Off In Michigan

DETROIT (WWJ) - Wednesday marks the annual Michigan Donate Life Month as about 3,000 Michigan residents await an organ transplant.

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said the annual campaign has already succeeded in boosting the number of people who have signed up to donate organs.

In 2011, there was a record-breaking 400,000 people who signed up, a 25 percent increase. In Feb. 2012 there was an 89 percent increase from 2011's numbers.

Johnson hopes that the numbers continue to rise.

Among those waiting a life-saving transplant is 11-year-old Jai'Wan Davis-Harbour of Taylor who needs a new kidney.  Since age 7 months, he has had more than 60 surgeries.

He understands that he has to take it easy and not play as hard as some of the other children.

"I can't play football or baseball because I may get hurt," he said. It is a dream of his to play baseball one day and throw out the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game.

Until Davis-Harbour receives a new kidney, his mother Cherisse continues to take him to dialysis four days a week.

"He had different dialysis. I did PD (peritoneal dialysis) for him at home for 11 hours every night. He did get a kidney in 2008 which lasted 4 and half years and they had to take it out because he got really sick, it (the kidney) was rejecting," she said.

Ruth Johnson says signing up to become an organ donor is simple.  She encourages Michiganders to do so at their local Secretary of State's office or on the State of Michigan's website.