There are far more people in need of a transplant than there are organs available. According to Donate Life America, while 95 percent of US adults support organ donation, only 54 percent are actual registered donors. By signing up as an organ donor, you can save lives.
One deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives! Two donated kidneys can free two patients from dialysis treatments. One donated liver can be split to go to two patients on the wait list. Two donated lungs mean another two patients are given a second chance, and a donated pancreas and donated heart are two more patients who will receive the gift of life.
Is tissue donation important?
Yes! One tissue donor – someone who can donate bone, tendons, cartilage, connective tissue, skin, corneas, sclera, and heart valves and vessels – can impact the lives of as many as 75 people.
Although almost 170 million people are registered to be donors, only three in 1,000 people die in a way that allows for deceased organ donation. That’s why organ donation is a special opportunity and adding the donor designation to your driver’s license is so important.
Can I be an organ donor while I am still alive?
Yes, you can donate one kidney or a lobe of your liver while you’re still living. Most living donations happen between family members or close friends; however, others choose to be living donors for someone they don’t know, which is known as non-directed or altruistic donation. Nearly 6,000 living donations take place each year.
How many people are currently waiting for life-saving transplants?
Nationally, there are more than 100,000 people awaiting transplantation. Even the largest football stadium in the US could not fit the number of patients on the national transplant waiting list.
Every day in the US, 17 people die waiting for an organ to become available. Every nine minutes, another patient is added to the national transplant waiting list.
https://www.organdonor.gov/sign-up
To your good health and saving a life
Cathy
