ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – In the summer of 2023, Janie Rock and her husband experienced every parent's worst fear when their unborn son Gabriel was diagnosed with a terminal illness and would not survive outside of the womb.The Rock family decided to turn their misfortune into someone else's mir acle. "We thought the best option was to donate life and help somebody else in their time of need to help give us the comfort knowing that we can help somebody else in their time of need while we were hurting," shared Janie Rock, Gabriel's mother. April is National Donate Life Month, in which organ donors, recipients, and the community come together to highlight the critical need for life-saving donations. Baby Gabriel died 10 hours after he was born. He gave the gift of life by donating his eyes and heart valves. Gabriel also helped launch the birth tissue program at Presbyterian by donating the hospital's very first placenta. "It in a way gives us a comfort, it gives us peace knowing that there's help out there for families that need it," continued Rock. Through donation, the tissues that are typically discarded after birth can be safely used for patients in need, promoting healing, treating burns and, in some cases, saving lives. "So, there's a lot of people who need a transplant or benefit from a transplant, but no transplant is possible without donors. So living donors coming forward and generously giving credit themselves is an amazing gift," explained Dr. Shelly Wilson, Transplant Surgical Director at Presbyterian Hospital. Donate Life America reports that in the united states more than 100,000 people, including 600 New Mexicans, are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, making donors essential.And anyone can register to be an organ donor, regardless of age. "Yeah, so it is, honestly, as simple as designating it on your driver's license," continued Wilson. The organization says one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of up to 75 more through tissue donation. Presbyterian Hospital says New Mexico leads the nation with 56 percent of the population registered as donors. ...read more read less