Donor Awareness

I have really been thinking a lot on the power of just one. . . .just one person who chooses to be an Organ Donor~ My Donor saved my life along with probably as many as 7 others. That is a powerful and wonderful gift to give to so many people. I try hard to raise awareness, I think that's the key to saving more lives. If you think you can't make a difference in this world, you are soooo wrong. You are the most precious and heroic person to the people who you give a second chance at life to. It's indescribable the emotional attachment I have to a person who I may never know anything about, but she is my hero and I love her. If you don't know some of the facts about organ and tissue donation and the need for donors please read the rest of my post.

The success rates of transplant surgery have improved remarkably, but growing shortages exist in the supply of organs and tissues available for transplantation. Many Americans who need transplants cannot get them because of these shortages. The result: some of these people die while waiting for that "Gift of Life."

Here are some facts everyone should know:

Updated 8.26.09

Stats and Facts Facts about Organ and Tissue Donation:

-- Across the country, more than 103,000 people are waiting for organ transplants. A new name is added to the national waiting list every 12 minutes.

--In 2008, 6,627 transplant candidates – one person every 80 minutes – died in the United States while awaiting transplantation. Right now, 18 people die every day waiting for a transplant. As of August 21, 2009, the national waiting list included 1,765 children younger than 18 years old.

--Each year in the United States, approximately 11,000 people die under conditions that make them medically suitable potential organ donors. In 2008, only 7,990 of those who died in the United States became organ donors.

--A new name is added to the waiting list every 12 minutes.

--The average consent rate nationwide for organ donation has risen from 58% in 2003 to 70% in 2008. A survey conducted by Donate Life America in 2009 found that 50% of Americans wish to donate organs and/or tissue, 26% are undecided and 24% do not wish or are reluctant to donate.

--Only 38% of Americans are registered on their state's donor registry. Documenting one’s wishes about donation is important, because donor designation is legal and cannot be overridden by one's family; however, sharing this decision with family members is important as well. A potential donor’s next-of-kin will be consulted before donation takes place.

--Transplantation is no longer considered experimental. It is a desired treatment for thousands with end-stage organ disease. Each year, approximately 1,000,000 Americans receive tissue transplants, 41,000 receive cornea transplant and nearly 25,000 receive organ transplants.

--In recent years, medical breakthroughs have greatly improved the success rate for transplantation... it now generally runs in excess of 80% for transplants overall.

--Under ideal conditions, one person can donate as many as eight organs (heart, two lungs, liver, pancreas, two kidneys, and intestine). At today's average recovery and transplantation rates, the current pool of potential donors could meet the needs of up to 40,000 people per year.

--Tissue donation can give the gift of sight, save burn victims from disfigurement, provide relief from amputation, and grant other life-enhancing assistance.

And to dispel some myths and misconceptions:

--Organs are allocated based on the urgency of medical need, not according to a patient's financial, political, social or celebrity status. The length of time it takes to receive a transplant is based solely on medical criteria like blood type, height and weight, and time spent waiting. The most important factor that affects length of time waiting is a lack of organ donors.

--Only increased medical need can “move” someone higher on the national waiting list for organs. Rich and famous people have to wait like everyone else.

--Donation is consistent with the life-preserving traditions of most major religions.

--Donation is not discussed until all efforts to save a life have failed. If someone is sick, injured and/or admitted to a hospital, the first priority is to save that person’s life. If all possible efforts to save a patient’s life have failed, the family is then asked about giving the gift of life through organ and tissue donation.

--Donor families incur no expense for donation.

--Donation is a sterile surgical procedure. In most cases, one can be a donor and have an open casket funeral.

--Organs and tissues can be donated by people of all ages.

--People with a history of medical illness still can be donors. At the time of death, medical professionals evaluate a potential donor’s medical and social history to determine suitability for donation. Constant advances in transplantation mean many more people can be donors than ever before. While only a small percentages of people die in a manner suitable for organ donation, nearly everyone can be a tissue and eye donor.

PLEASE REGISTER AS AN ORGAN DONOR AND SHARE YOUR WISHES WITH YOUR FAMILY!

Save a life..."Be Someone's Hero"....Be an Organ Donor