Recently, when asked if I wanted to be listed as an organ donor on my renewed license, I said, "Yes," without hesitation. However, many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of donating body parts to others when they die. It seems wasteful to bury perfectly good organs with a body that can't use them anymore, while they could go to someone else who needs them.
The United Network for Organ Sharing says the current national waiting list for organ transplants is more than 88,000 people. This is a ridiculously large number of people with a small number of people willing to help them. After all, there were only 14,138 donors in 2004, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Clearly, the number of donors must increase to help save the lives of these patients who only have hope of living if they are matched with a donor.
Some concerns a lot of people seem to have -- and even I did when I was younger -- are that they or their loved ones won't look the same at the funeral, after the donated organs have been removed. However, donor programs have stressed that the appearances of the deceased will not be changed. They have also stated that the living family members will not have to pay for the transplantation. Another issue people are afraid of is doctors not fighting as hard to save their lives if they're organ donors. This is not true. The Coalition on Donation said, "If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life." Plus, organ donation can only happen after a person has died, and their family is consulted first.
Organs that can be transplanted are the liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, lung and intestines. Tissues such as eyes, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, veins and blood vessels can also be donated at death, says the Coalition on Donation. Living donors are also able to donate the kidney, partial liver, pancreas and lung. Donors can specify which organs they want and don't want to be donated.
The Coalition on Donation says Indiana residents should take two steps to make sure their decision to be an organ donor is carried out. The first is to register online in the Indiana Donor Registry for organs, tissue and eyes at http://www.donatelifeindiana.org. The second is to indicate on your license, when you renew or apply for it, that you would like to be an organ donor.
If organ donation still freaks you out, the movie, "Return to Me," starring Minnie Driver and David Duchovny, may help motivate you to consider it. Driver's character suffers from heart failure and is waiting for a heart donor when Duchovny's wife is killed in a car accident. His wife's heart is donated to save Driver's life. Of course, Driver and Duchovny end up meeting and falling in love, and it may seem cheesy, but it actually leaves you feeling like being an organ donor could help you make a difference in someone else's life.
A name is added to the national waiting list every 13 minutes, but this is a way to be a hero for one of those people who only have one last chance to live. It would be unfortunate not to give them a chance to live the life you already have.
Write to Melissa at
mmwhiten@bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
