You probably wouldn’t think twice about saving someone’s life while you are living, so why not let your death save someone too?
If you saw a little girl in the middle of the road and a car was racing toward her, sure to hit her, and she was oblivious to that fact, would you try to move her out of the way?
If you saw a bunch of people trapped in a burning building, would you try to do something to help?
If your own child were sick, would you do everything in your power, even if it meant you might risk your own life, to help your child get well?
Daily, there are people who indeed do things that might put their own life at risk in order to protect or save the life of another. These are good people… helpful people… modern-day heroes.
Yet, currently there are 92,000 people who are dying and on the organ transplant lists–and many of these same modern-day heroes are not nor have ever considered becoming organ donors–something that doesn’t even put their life at risk.
Over 3,700 people will be added to the transplant list every month, while only about 2,300 people actually receive transplants each month, suffering with illnesses, pain, discomfort, and poor quality of life while waiting for a transplant.
Over 540 people die every month waiting for a viable organ donation.
Clearly, more people will be added to the list every month than are removed from the list, and many removed from the list are only removed because their loved ones are left to mourn their deaths.
The sad fact is–many, if not the majority, of those deaths could be prevented or delayed–and the quality of life for thousands of others could be increased by one thing: more organ donations.
Approximately 10,000 people die every day in America….(stats vary every year)
I know this is morbid to think about, but it’s true. Death is absolutely an inevitable part of life, and it’s a conclusion we will all face at some point. However, if every one of those 10,000 people who died daily were organ donators, you can do the math and see that it would not take long for every person on the organ donation transplant list, which only adds 3,700 people per day, to actually receive a donated organ and have their life-saving surgery.
I realize it is optimistic of me to think every person who dies will be an organ donator. I realize it’s also unrealistic to expect that every person who dies has organs that will match the people on the list or that they will be in viable condition. Just call me an optimistic realist when I say that if even one life is saved, the quality of one life increased significantly, it would be worth it.
Of course, there are some people who can’t donate organs, just like some people can’t donate blood, because they have an illness or disorder or take a medication the prevents it. However, the majority of people can donate organs, and those who have some health issues may be able to donate certain tissues and other body parts that are not affected by their health.
Did you know you don’t have to be dead to donate an organ? Some organs can be donated while you are still alive. You have to match someone very closely to be considered for a living donation, and you have to be in pretty good health yourself too.
However, have you ever heard the phrase, “You can’t take it with you when you’re gone?”
The same holds true for your organs and body tissue.
Let me go a bit morbid on you. When you are buried, you will be drained of your blood anyway, so why not donate it to someone whose life might be saved from it? Plasma is the same. You’re going to lose that anyway. I was surprised to discover some of my friends didn’t know this. They honestly thought people were buried as/is, but that is not the case.
Did you know you don’t have to donate your entire body to donate your organs? You can actually choose what organs you want to donate and which ones you don’t, but your body itself is not donated unless you choose to donate your entire body.
Organ donors can have full funerals with open caskets if they choose. The process of donating organs doesn’t change the appearance of your body at all, and your loved ones will never know by looking that there was an organ or tissue donation.
Organ donations can include:
* Kidney
* Heart
* Liver
* Lung
* Pancreas
* Intestines
* Cornea
* Skin
* Bone
* Bone marrow
* Blood & Plasma
And here is the part that really gets to me: one organ donator can help as many as 50 people who are sick! 50 PEOPLE!
If you donate your organs, you can save lives, give someone back their quality of life, help someone see again, keep a family from having to grieve the loss of a loved one… there’s so much that donating organs can do, and quite frankly, it’s not like you need them when you’re dead anyway!
Whatever your faith – whatever your belief–or no faith or belief whatsoever–I don’t know many people who, if given the chance to save someone’s life without risking their own at all (since they’d already be dead) wouldn’t do that.
It doesn’t cost you or your family anything to donate your organs, not a penny. It won’t hold up having a funeral, it won’t change much of anything about what has to happen after you die. The ONLY major difference is that you will be responsible for saving lives that might otherwise die without your thoughtful donation, and your family can live with the comfort of knowing that your death, while sad and tragic no matter the circumstances, had a positive benefit to it.
You don’t have to be young to donate, you don’t have to be old–anyone, no matter the age, can donate organs–even babies, even the elderly, even those with terminal illnesses. Anyone under 18 requires parental/guardian consent.
Signing an organ donation form is not enough!
It’s great to sign an organ donation form, and great to have the fact you’re an organ donor on your driver’s license (most states do this), but it’s not enough. Your family needs to know this. Any time you check into the hospital, the staff needs to know this. You have to talk to people. It could be quite a shock to your husband or wife if you were to ever die and then the hospital staff comes to talk to them about harvesting your organs, and they knew nothing about it!
Plus, in the event of an untimely and unplanned death, there may not be time to notice or check for your donation status, which requires the staff follow a different procedure after your death in order to save other people’s lives.
If I can convince one person to become an organ donator, I have saved lives too, and the more organs donated, the higher up the list people at the bottom of the organ transplant list will move… who knows, one day, my convincing people to donate organs might just end up saving my own life. Perhaps it will save your life. Perhaps it will save the life of someone you know and love.
If you are an organ donor already, thank you! Make sure your family and friends know about your desire to save lives after your death!
If you are not an organ donor, please think about it, ask questions, feel comfortable with it, and then go to any of these sites for more information:
U.S.Department of Health and Human Services Organ Donation Initiative
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Children’s Organ Transplant Association
And if you decide you want to become an organ donor, you can go here:
http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/registry.shtm
And select your state to learn how to register to become a donor. It takes very little time or effort, and the benefit is immeasurable.