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CHARLOTTE – A Charlotte man is hoping his story will raise awareness about the need for organ donations. David Rosen, 42, has been on the transplant waiting list for a year now, and so far, he hasn't found a match.

Rosen suffers from end stage renal failure and has only one kidney, which operates around 20 percent or less. Along with this, he is also a husband, father of four, and a business man.

"I got a lot going on. I've got to stay here for the kids,” said Rosen.

He says his faith and his family are giving him strength through the long wait.

"I trust that I'm going to have one, that I'm going to get my kidney that I need. I just really want to get the awareness out to the people that they can be living donors," said Rosen.

It's a passion of both his and Tom Aspenwall. Aspenwall who works for LifeShare Of The Carolinas and is a heart recipient himself. Aspenwall says the numbers of both deceased and living donors have gone up.

"And that's because of all the stories you've seen in the news, in the movies, and people's willingness to help other people and knowing that organ donation is a life saving gift and it does work,” said Aspenwall.

While a heart on your license means you're an organ donor, Aspenwall says not everyone dies in a way that they can be a donor.

"Because only one to two percent of the population ever die in a way that they can be an organ donor, the need is great,” said Aspenwall. “There is still a shortage of organs in this country."

Which is why living donors are so crucial for someone still searching and waiting, such as Rosen.

"They'd be my kids' hero. Words couldn't even describe," said Rosen.

That is why Rosen wants to see more people getting tested to give the ultimate gift of life.

"Whether or not the donor comes to me and I get the donor, somebody out there needs a kidney," said Rosen.

Right now, there are about 112,000 people on the national waiting list for an organ transplant, and about 3,600 in North Carolina.

If you're interested in being a living donor for David Rosen or someone else on the list, you can contact the Transplant Department at Carolinas Medical Center at (704) 355-6649. People who are not interested in living donation may join the registry by signing up at their local DMV or at www.donatelifenc.org.