Earlier this week, News reporter Julie Goldberg introduced us to Kyle Bailey, a 34-year-old Port Huron man and quadruple organ transplant recipient who plans to bicycle from Mackinaw City to Port Huron from Sunday through Aug. 10 to raise awareness of the importance of becoming an organ donor.

Bailey will make stops in Rogers City and Alpena on his trek to talk about his cause, which we say is a noble one.

The Michigan Secretary of State says 3,089 Michiganders are awaiting organ transplants, the overwhelming majority of them waiting for new kidneys. Michiganders also are waiting for livers, hearts, lungs, and pancreases.

In 2018, 1,085 donor organs came from Michiganders.

The Secretary of State says about 66% of Michigan adults are registered donors, which is three times the percentage of a decade ago.

That’s good news, but it still means a full third of Michiganders are not part of the program.

We encourage our readers to consider signing up as an organ donor next time they’re at the Secretary of State office or perusing the internet. You never know whose life you could save.

God speed, Mr. Bailey, and safe cycling!

(THE ALPENA NEWS)