Saving a life is considered an act of heroism. Becoming an organ donor is very selfless and super simple. Make a commitment by deciding to become an organ donor, your decision could help to save or enhance up to 50 lives. Signing up to be a donor as never been easier, as of July 1, 2013 you can sign up to be a donor on the internet through the South Dakota Department of Public Safety website. You can also become a donor when you apply or renew your driver’s license by checking the box.
. A new name is added to the national waiting list every 13 minutes. As of March 16, 2014 there are 121,663 people waiting for an organ. Approximately 80 people receive organ transplants each day. Unfortunately, 18 people die every day waiting for an organ. One donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance many others with tissue and blood donations. Patients can wait for months, even years on the waiting list, before they either get a transplant or they die waiting. One donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance many others with tissue and blood donations. Patients can wait for months, even years on the waiting list, before they either get a transplant or they die waiting The definition of organ donation is the donation of biological tissue or an organ of the human body, from a living or deceased person to a living recipient in need of a transplant. The organs of the body that can be transplanted currently are kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and the intestines. Kidney/pancreas transplants, heart/lung transplants and other combined organ transplants are also performed. Once an organ is taken out of the donor body it has to be used within hours. Most donated organs come from people who have passed away, but living individuals can donate a kidney, part of a pancreas, part of a lung, part of the liver, or part of the intestines. Tissue donations are corneas, the middle ear, skin, heart valves, bones, veins, cartilage, tendons and ligaments. They can be stored in tissue banks and used to restore sight, cover burns, and mend damaged connective tissue and cartilage in recipients. Bone marrow can also help save lives. Bone marrow is the soft tissue found in the interior cavities of bones. It is a major site of blood cell production. Donating blood and platelets is also a way to help. Because blood is continuously replaced throughout life it is safe to donate blood every 56 days and platelets every four weeks. It can be used as plasma, platelets, blood as a whole or separated into packed red blood cells, all have different lifesaving uses. Blood is stored by Rh factor and by types in a blood bank. There are many myths to donating organs. Here are a few examples of the myths. Myth 1: I’m under the age of 18. I’m too young to make this decision. Fact 1: That’s true, but your parents can authorize this decision for you. You can express your wishes to become a donor because children need donors as well. Myth 2: I’m too old for donation. Fact 2: There’s no defined cutoff age for donation. The decision to use your organs is based on strict medical criteria, not age. Myth 3: I’m not in the best of health; no one would want my organs or tissue. Fact 3: Very few medical conditions automatically disqualify you from donating organs. Myth 4: Organ donation is against my religion. Fact 4: Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of many major religions. According to organdonor.gov Catholicism views organ and tissue donation as an act of charity and love. The Lutheran Church passed a resolution in 1984 saying that donation contributes to the well-being of humanity and can be “an expression of sacrificial love for a neighbor in need.” Where other churches have no opinion and believe it is an individual’s decision. In the last year more than 28,000 transplants happened. One million people received cornea and other tissue transplants to help people recover from traumas, bone damage, spinal injuries, burns, hearing impairment and vision loss.
I would like to share a few personal stories I learned while doing my research. When I was 3 years old my dad passed away from a heart condition that couldn’t be fixed because they hadn’t perfected the heart/lung transplant. Six months after he died my mom heard on the news of the first successful heart/lung transplant happening in the United States. My dad wasn’t able to become a donor because of his heart condition; his organs wouldn’t have known how to work in a normal heart functioning body. In the winter of 1997, my Uncle Bud received a heart transplant. After having 3 open heart surgeries, the doctor told the family there were no more surgeries that could be done to save his life without a transplant. Bud got the called during a blizzard to get to Minneapolis ASAP because they had a heart for him. My uncle got the heart of a 30something put into his 60something body and is still alive today because of it. A friend from high schools brother received a liver transplant before he turned 21; he had been on the list for over 8 years. Micah passed away last year at the age of 25 from a car accident but had signed the donor card and was able to donate all of his tissue and bones to help save and enhance others’ lives. His sister recently got a card thanking her brother. The card was from a 16 year old kid who had torn ligaments and broken bones in one of his legs and because of Micah’s donation this kid’s leg was fixed. I know when my friend Jordan passed away last year he helped 7 people with his corneas, tissue and bones. My friend Michelle lost her sons in a horrid car accident in Dec of 2009, but Chaz (who was 17 months) and Kadean (who was 5) were able to help at least 4 people with their corneas and heart valves.
Now knowing that I also have a hole in my heart I hope I never have to use all of this information I have given you today. Why wouldn’t someone want to say “They helped save or enhance my life!” If you sign up for organ donation, you can live your life from that point forward knowing that you can achieve that. I am an organ donor.