Several very kind and generous people have been messaging me about what I want for my birthday/Yule/Xmas. Since so many of you are far away, I went ahead and created a wishlist on Amazon. However, if you’d rather support a cause I hold dear, then please sign up to be an organ donor.
Currently, more than 120,000 Americans are waiting list candidates for organ transplants. A new name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 10 minutes. And every day, 18 of those people die because a match was unavailable.
It’s so easy to become a donor. Simply fill out a card or check the box on your driver’s license application. Then tell your family and friends about your decision. That way, if anything ever happens to you, they’ll know to sign the consent form and honor your wishes. Having this discussion with your loved ones also offers you the opportunity to encourage them to learn more about organ donation.
Age isn’t a factor. Neither is gender or race. Organs and tissue can be donated by anyone who decides to help others. You don’t have to have a physical exam to see if your organs are good enough to donate. Medical suitability is determined at the time of death.
If you ever become seriously injured or ill, the doctors will give you the best care available. The decision to donate your organs has no effect on the amount or quality of medical care you’ll receive. Your life is the first priority. But if don’t pull through, the hospital can use your forethought and generosity to save other people’s lives.
What can be donated? You decide. Personally, I signed up for the whole shebang. When I’m gone, the United Network for Organ Sharing can have my heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, intestines, eyes, skin and bone marrow. It’s not like I’ll be able to use them.
Once those organs are harvested, strict federal guidelines will ensure ethical and equitable distribution. Patients in the immediate area who are critically ill will get first dibs. If no suitable match is found, the organs will be offered regionally, then nationally.
Organ donation is free. Almost all major religions in the United States consider it an acceptable medical practice. And it’s one of the few opportunities for anyone to achieve a sort of immortality. Yet millions of people still haven’t filled out an organ donation card.
Hopefully, that will change today.
–Photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian. Used with permission.
