Organ Donation

Organ Donation



Have you ever saved anyone’s life before? I’m sure most of us can’t say that we have, but if you become an organ donor you can make a difference. By choosing to donate your organs, you are giving someone a second chance at life. The number of patients needing a transplant is far greater than the number of people who are actually registered organ donors. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, as of today 116,410 people are on the waiting list for a transplant (“UNOS”).   Many of the patients have to wait months, even years until receiving a match and their conditions may worsen over time. To be able to understand organ donation and the benefits of the process, one needs to know what organ donation is, how to become an organ donor, and what organs you are able to donate.   Choosing to become an organ donor doesn’t only affect you it also affects the people you could be helping. Medlineplus.com says that organs from one person can help save up to 50 people ("Organ Donation: MedlinePlus").

When considering becoming an organ donor, some people wonder what organ donation is and how does it work?   Myclevelandclinic.org defines organ donation as the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person and placing it into another person ("Cleveland Clinic"). Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine.   Every day in the United States 17 people die waiting for an organ and more than 80,000 men, women, and children await life-saving organ transplants.   People can donate their heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, intestines, pancreas, middle ear, bone, bone marrow, heart valves, connective tissue and the cornea of their eye.   When a person’s organs have shut down or been damaged due to disease or injury, that is when he or she usually needs to have a transplant. A living person can donate their liver and kidneys since we are born with an extra kidney and the liver is regenerative.   When a person needs a...