Organ Donation

How do you feel when you have to wait for something you really, really want?.............What if it was something you couldn’t live without?..........My cousin was five years old when he found out he needed a new kidney. He went on the organ waiting list right away. He was called twice during a six month span that they had a kidney wasn’t a good match. He had to wait again. The third time was a charm. A small adult was in an accident and his kidney was a good match. This story had a happy ending, but so many do not. One of the people on the waiting list for an organ transplant might be someone you know. Today I’d like to tell you about first, the need for organ donors in our area, second, how you can become an organ donor after you die, and finally, how your family and organ donor recipients benefit from your donation.

People around the world, but also right here in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois, need organ transplants, and they need our help. The problem is that there is a lack of organ donors who make organ transplantation possible. The need is many organs and tissues such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, and blood vessels. In spring 2004 the Official U.S. Government web site for organ donation states that, “A new name is added to the national waiting list every 16 minutes.” That means that 3 people will be added to the list during the time we are in class today. The problem is that 10 people will die each day waiting fo...