Happy Valentine’s Day AND National Donors Day! You don’t need to be a living donor like me to be able to someday save a life–or several, in fact. If you don’t have that little heart on your driver’s license and haven’t already registered as an organ donor, please don’t wait to renew your license: go to organdonor.gov, among other sites.
More than 113,000 people in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ (most of them for a kidney). Only about 3 in 1,000 people die in such a way that organ donation is possible–for example, in a hospital following a car accident–so the pool is very small. That’s why it’s critical that everyone register. But those that can be organ donors can donate up to eight organs: two kidneys, two lungs, a pancreas, a liver, a heart, and intestines. Plus eyes and tissue–even hands and face.
Registering as a donor is important, but sharing your wishes with your family is just as important. When in doubt, at a very difficult time, a family in grief may choose not to donate the person’s organs. Many grieving families take lasting comfort in knowing that their loved one’s organs will help save someone’s life and bring relief and joy to another family. Most families will want to honor your wishes, if they just know what they are.
Could You Be a Kidney Donor? What to Expect If You Give the Greatest Gift 