If you’re like most people–myself included until I was in my fifties–“donate life” simply conjures images of a little heart on your driver’s license to say you’re an organ donor. Most people have it. No big deal.
It’s not that simple. On this last day of Donate Life Month, I thought I’d throw out a few important facts about organ donation to see how much you know about it. Test yourself—and let me know how you did! (Not to worry–I’ll grade on a curve.)
1-How many people are waiting for an organ? Most of the 103,000+ people on the national waiting lists for an organ from a deceased donor are waiting for a heart. True or false?
False. More than 80% of them are waiting for a kidney.
2-In the United States, the wait for a kidney from a deceased donor is a matter of months. True or false?
False. In many areas of the country, it can be 5 to 10 years.
3-Every year a few hundred people die because they didn’t receive a lifesaving organ in time. True or false?
False. Nearly 5,000 people on the wait lists die while waiting for a kidney each year.
4-Who can be an organ donor? A large percentage of people in the United States can be organ donors when they die. True or false?
False. Only about 3 in 1,000 people die in such a way that they can be organ donors: generally, in a hospital following a trauma such as a car accident. That’s just 0.3% (yes, I had to look it up).
5-Most living donors are men. True or false?
False. Nearly two-thirds of living donors are women.
If you’re not already a registered organ donor, you needn’t wait till you renew your driver’s license. You can do it online right now at registerme.org or many other websites. (There you’ll also find more facts about organ donation.)
So, if you’d ever wondered why the wait for a deceased-donor organ is so long, and why donation advocates wish more people would consider being live donors like me, now you know the bottom line. There simply aren’t enough organs available for everyone who needs them.
For related posts and information on my book, The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation, be sure to explore the rest of my website and my articles at Medium.com/@caroloffen.