One hot July night in 2003, Ron Boris, then 43, was jolted awake, the pain of a massive heart attack ripping through his chest. He recovered, but that October he had another.

On April 25, 2009, after years of surgeries and illness triggered by his cardiomyopathy, Boris, of Auburn, Schuylkill County, was given a heart transplant.His new heart had been donated by Eddie Bates, of Delaware, who was 31 when he died of a brain aneurysm.To this day, Boris wears a large medallion with Bates' photograph around his neck, and a similar button on his lapel."That button I wear all the time. This is my hero. I thank him every night, and I thank him every morning. Because of him, I got to see my daughter graduate from high school, and I got to see my grandson," Boris says.After almost two years of exchanging letters with Bates' mother, Erin Toulson, Boris finally met his donor's family in 2012."We cried and hugged. The first thing she wanted to do was put her head against my chest, so she could listen to her son's heart beat," Boris said.Bates' decision to have his organs donated upon his death is a gift Boris will never forget; he's become a vocal advocate for organ donation, spreading the word about how to sign up. He's proud that 51 percent of Schuylkill County residents have signed up to donate their organs.On Wednesday, Boris was on hand when Schuylkill County commissioners adopted a proclamation declaring April as Donate Life Pennsylvania month.The resolution reads, in part, "more than 121,000 individuals nationwide and almost 8,500 in Pennsylvania are currently on the national organ transplant wait list; and every 90 minutes one person dies while waiting for a donated organ."It's easy to sign up online to donate your organs. Just access the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's website and go to the online organ donor designation login. You'll need to enter your driver's license number, Social Security number and date of birth.According to DonateLifePA, "each day, 18 people in the United States die while waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and every 10 minutes another person's name is added to the national transplant waiting list. Today, more than 116,000 people are waiting for life-saving organs and hundreds of thousands more hope for life-enhancing tissue transplants."In Pennsylvania, more than 8,000 people wait for a life-saving organ transplant. Thousands more wait for tissue transplants that would greatly enhance their quality of life. At least 4.4 million people have said "yes" to organ and tissue donation by adding the donor designation to their driver's license, learner's permit or state identification card. But this represents only half of those eligible to register, so we have a lot of work left to do.Boris, now 53, has bonded with Bates' family. Toulson insists he call her "Mom," and they talk on the phone at least once a week. He's learned that he and Bates shared a love of hunting and fishing, of working on small engines and making people laugh.Boris also began participating in the annual Transplant Games of America, on Team Philadelphia, starting as soon as he was deemed healthy enough after his transplant.He's eager to speak to groups and organizations and can be reached at 570-739-2968.