On Thursday, hundreds gathered at the State Capitol for the first celebration of organ, eye and tissue donations.

“I was definitely on the road to not making it and a donor’s heart saved my life,” said Kevin Pontz.

Pontz received a heart transplant late last year. He’s not only an organ recipient, but also the family of a donor. Two weeks ago, he lost his wife to a brain aneurysm and subsequently a car crash. She donated her organs and saved the lives of four people.

“It gives us some calm relief to know that she saved other people,” Pontz said.

Thursday’s “Donate Life Capitol Celebration” included hundreds of donor family members, transplant recipients and also those who are waiting for an organ donation.

“In 2005, I was able to receive my dad’s kidney and have been doing great ever since. I spend years on dialysis with people who aren’t that lucky and watching them die on a machine waiting, it was extremely difficult to watch,” Brittney Hoszkiw said.

In Michigan, 3000 people are still waiting for a life-saving transplant and more than 100,000 people nation-wide are still on the waiting list.

This year, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson decided to have branch clerks directly ask customers if they’d like to join the Michigan Organ Donor Register, time permitting. According to Secretary Johnson, donor registrations grew by 40 percent last month.

Oliver Hale was at the Capitol for the event. He’s waiting for a kidney transplant.

“18 people die a day waiting for organ transplants and that’s scary because I’m trying to live my life as healthy as possible,” Hale said.