ABC-7

Ads for Organ Donations Feature Children

March 30, 2004 - New commercials aimed at encouraging organ donations in Illinois will feature the plights of children waiting for transplants.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White unveiled the ad campaign yesterday at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He says even though Illinois leads the nation in donor registration lists, about 209 people died last year waiting for an organ.

Fifteen-year-old Tonisha Daniels of suburban Dolton and ten-year-old Ian Fitch of Lake in the Hills have been waiting for liver donations. They are both featured in the new commercials.

Officials say about 44-hundred people in Illinois are waiting for an organ. The commercials will air on radio and television for the next four weeks.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)