Organ Donation
"Leave a legacy of life - be an organ donor!"
Are you registered as an organ donor?
I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I have always wanted to be an organ donor, but I was always scared to register or put it on my licence.... somewhere along the line I was told (and believed) the myth that if I was an organ donor and was in a car wreck, or hospital, that EMTs, doctors, nurses, etc. would not give me the care I needed and instead, kill me prematurely to use my organs for someone else. It sounds silly now, but that is the #1 most common myth surrounding organ donations.
But here's the thing... even if you are a registered organ donor, your life always comes first. Doctors work hard to save every patient’s life, but sometimes there is a complete and irreversible loss of brain function. The patient is declared clinically and legally dead. Only then is donation an option.
So, the more I think on it, the more I want to chose to be an organ donor.
I want my life to mean something. If I can help someone by giving them an organ, bone, tissue, etc., especially when I no longer have a use for it, I will have done some good in my death.
Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.
95% of people support organ donation, but only 58% are registered.
Sadly, 20 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant.
Nationally, there are more than 100,000 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant.
Just one organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can benefit as many as 75 others.
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Organs that can be donated after death are the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas and small intestines, these can add years and significantly improve a patient’s life.
Meanwhile, donated tissue such as tendons, skin, veins, heart valves, ligaments and bones can be used to restore mobility and hope for combat veterans, burn victims, and individuals with failing joints. Corneas, the most common transplant, can also be donated and used to restore vision.
More than 40,000 corneal transplants take place each year in the United States.
Did you know that liver and kidney disease kills over 120,000 each year? More people than Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, or prostate cancer. 1 in 9 or 26 million Americans have kidney disease – and most don’t even know it.
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While not all of a donor’s organs or tissue may be suitable for transplant, even one life-saving gift can have a profound impact.
Many people mistakenly believe age or medical conditions would rule them out, but everyone is a potential donor!
Being an organ donor does not affect medical care or funeral arrangements.
If everyone was a registered organ donor, it is estimated we would double the number of lives saved
So, a few weeks ago, I filled out the papers and registered as an organ donor.
"We honor organ donors, who, in there final hour, gave a lifetime."
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