In the last 10 years, more than 2,000 Ohioans have died waiting for an organ transplant.

UD's men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and 9-year-old heart transplant recipient Pierce Blalock have teamed up with Life Connection of Ohio to advocate organ donation awareness in hopes of reducing that number.

Gregory and Blalock shared their message of awareness in a public service announcement for Life Connection of Ohio, a nonprofit organ procurement organization.

"Registering as an organ and tissue donor is such an easy thing to do, yet it has such an enormous impact," Gregory said. "The greatest gift you can give is to give of yourself to help someone in need. Just look at Pierce. He has so many possibilities now in life because someone said yes [to being a donor]."

Pierce suffered from congestive heart failure at three months old and received a heart transplant at 15 months. He is now a healthy 9-year-old third grader who is a Flyer basketball fan.

"Pierce knows how important his transplant is, as well as organ donation awareness," Kara Blalock, Pierce's mom, said. "He knows to give back and pay it forward. When you are involved in an experience like ours, you are willing to help and give back."

The Blalock family tries to raise awareness for children in need of transplants. Kara Blalock talked about the importance of organ donation for children because many people associate organ donation with adults. Children are affected too, she said

"Coach Gregory and the University of Dayton have a dedicated following of Flyer fans, and we want UD friends and fans to become 'Flyers for Life' by registering as organ and tissue donors," Cathi Arends, director of Community Relations at Life Connection of Ohio, said. "Thanks to an organ donor, Pierce is a future Flyer."

One organ donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 50 people, according to the Life Connection of Ohio Web site.

Life Connection of Ohio strives to enhance the lives of people in need by providing services to 53 hospitals within 23 counties in central, southeast and northwest Ohio. The organization has a goal of raising the number of organ donors and ending the wait for both organ and tissue transplants.

There are 3,007 Ohioans currently in need of a transplant and the need for organs far exceeds the supply. Every 11 minutes a name is added to the National Transplant Waiting List and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ, according to Life Connection of Ohio.

The state of Ohio is addressing the organ shortage through the Ohio Donor Registry, which was created in 2000 when Gov. Bob Taft signed the Organ Donor Bill. By joining the registry, a participant's decision to be an organ donor is known and honored.

In the 2008-2009 school year, the University of Dayton participated in the Do It Now College Competition through Donate Life Ohio, which is made up of numerous organ donation organizations such as Life Connection.

UD competed with 13 other universities statewide to register the most organ donors. Other universities included Xavier University, Miami University, University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University. All together, the 13 universities registered more than 125,000 donors for Ohio.

Being a donor is a way for those of the Dayton community to reach out to those of the outer community and truly make a difference in others' lives.