The Need For Organ Donation
While this film focuses on Pat and his story, the bigger story that we’re trying to get out is about organ donation.
In 2006, more than 6,000 transplant candidates – one person every 90 minutes – died while awaiting transplantation in the U.S. Right now 18 people die every day waiting for a transplant. Many of these patients may have lived if the families of every medically suitable potential donor had said “yes” to donation. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), across the country there are currently nearly 100,000 individuals waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. As of February 2007, about 20% of the waiting list are children younger than 18 years of age. The need for kidneys tops the list, followed by liver and heart. Transplant hospitals place individuals on the national waiting list, after they are given careful medical evaluations. Each month, approximately 500 people in the United States are added to the national waiting list.
Each year in the United States, approximately 15,000 people die under conditions that make them medically suitable potential organ donors. However, only about one-third of those who died in 2006 became organ donors. This translates to an estimated 20,000 Americans (about 55 each day) who receive organ transplants each year.
You can navigate over to the Donate Life America web site where you can find more information.
About 50% of the organs transplanted in America go to people who haven’t agreed to donate their own organs when they die. As long as we let non-donors jump to the front of the waiting list if they need a transplant we’ll always have an organ shortage.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage — give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.
hey dave – thanks for the note.
obviously, our goal in all of this is to raise awareness for the issue of organ donation and make people consider the choices they have.
so thanks for the info and the link.
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