18 People Die Daily Waiting For an Organ
THE NEED IS REAL
- 18 people will die each day waiting for an organ
- 112,330 people are waiting for an organ
- 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives
This excerpt was taken from OrganDonor.gov - Please visit this link to become an organ donor
There are many reasons many people do not donate their organs. I am not here to judge you or anyone else for the reason(s) that you may have to not donate something so precious. To donate the gift of life. Something that you nor I will ever use again once we have passed away. Whether you believe in an afterlife or do not. Either way, our bodies will decompose under the earth, or turn to ash if we have chosen cremation instead.
112,330 people are currently waiting for an organ that will extend their life beyond their current status. Some people have only hours to live, while others have only a few months or a couple of years at most.
Many of these people are children who by no fault of their own, contracted a disease, were born with it or just happened to have an accident that claimed the longevity of their lives. There are also adults who are waiting patiently.
As I stated above, there are many reasons people do not donate. One of them being the most obvious, but we will not discuss it. This is something that you are welcome to discuss in the comment section below. I do however, want to post some facts that many of us are not aware of.
- FACT: Anyone, regardless of age or medical history, can sign up to be a donor.
- FACT: Most major religions in the United States support organ donation and consider donation as the final act of love and generosity toward others.
- FACT: There is no cost to donors or their families for organ or tissue donation.
You can help save up to 8 people by donating your organs upon death. If you choose to have an open casket, you still can. If you choose to be cremated, you still can as well. This, being the final act of love can save so many people. In 2010 only 28,000 transplants were possible. In a country with over 300,000,000 in population, this is an extremely low count considering how many people are able to donate.
Please visit the website listed above and read more about becoming a donor. While you are there, registration is extremely easy and you can even print out a certificate at the end.
I am not currently waiting for an organ, and neither is anyone in my family, but I have known people who were waiting and it is absolutely gut wrenching to watch them day in and day out waiting for an opportunity to live.
There is no reason every American, young and old should not be an organ donor. Everyone is vulnerable as we are all human being and we never know when we, ourselves will need the love of someone who cared enough about humanity to give organs they will never use again, to a complete stranger.
During the time that it takes you to read this article, and visit the Organ Donor website, someone may have been added to the waiting list. Approximately every 11 minutes someone is added to this list. 55 people die every 11 minutes in the United States which could save many people. These figures are shamefully unbalanced and it is time to take a step and give the gift of life. To give something you will never use again.
If you still do not feel that organ donation is for you, maybe it is not the right time. Please consider it throughout your life. You have time to make this decision. It is not a difficult one to make. You will not be conscious, you will not be alive, and you will not feel pain upon donating your organs. What you will feel right now though, is the feeling of having accomplished something great and knowing you will leave this world having saved a man, woman, or child.