By this time tomorrow, 12 people in America who are alive right now will be dead. Not because they were in a car accident, not because they were gunned down, not because their time had come, not even because they weren’t in the hospital, but simply because they couldn’t be given a life-saving transplant in time. 12 people will die because the organ transplant they need will not be possible. Money’s not the issue here, nor is scarcity.
There are more than enough potential donors who pass away each day who could meet all the needs of people on the waiting list. The problem is, those potential donors die without leaving instructions that they are prepared to help someone live after them. And this is a problem on an enormous scale.
Currently, nearly 60,000 Americans are waiting for a life saving organ transplant. Hundreds of thousands more would benefit from a life enhancing tissue transplant. And yet, every day 12 people will die while awaiting a transplant. And every 16 minutes another name is added to the waiting list. But here is the real tragedy: This is an easy problem to fix. There’s an amazing network across the United States that links hospitals with to one another and can match donors with patients. There is a sophisticated system running in organizations like the United Network for Organ Sharing which ensures that all donors are brought into the system as smoothly and effortlessly as possible. The one element that’s missing in sufficiently large numbers, is a pool of donors. Maybe that could be you. So how can you help? Well, first, you need to make the decision that when the time comes, you would like to help someone else.
And that’s quite something to go through. It’s not something you do without emotion.
But remember - you make provision for the people you leave behind when you write a will or buy insurance. This is one more of those preparations you can make that will make things better for other people in your life. And don’t forget, what you do one day may be the same thing that someone else may be doing for you or your family some time much sooner than that.
So yes, it’s a big step to take, but once you’ve made the resolution that you’d like to be an organ donor at the end of your life, you can then take some steps to make sure that your wish is made known.
Here’s how you go about it:
Number one: Talk about it with your family. The single most important way to "register" as a donor is to "register" your wishes with your family so they will know your decision.
You will also want to use donor cards, driver's license stickers, and other means as well, but this comes first: be sure your next of kin knows your wishes!
Discuss your decision with your family; make sure they know what you want, nd find out what they want.
Number two: It’s time to get it on paper.
You can sign your driver's license or a donor card to raise the subject. Why is that a good idea?
Because time is the key factor when that time comes, and so it’s a good idea to have the document that tells the medical team where you stand. If they know that you’re a willing donor, then they will be in a position to take the appropriate steps at the appropriate time.
But please, don’t imagine for one moment that this will harm your chance of being treated properly. The team that uses a donor organ is NEVER the team responsible for taking care of your own life. Donation only becomes an issue after you’re gone, never, ever, before.
So How do you go about getting a Donor Card? You can visit the National Kidney Foundation's web page on donation, which has an image of a uniform organ donor card. You can your region's organ procurement agency and ask for a donor card, or you can visit the federal government's organ donation web site. And that really is all there is to it. The fact is, there’s nothing but good that can come from this.
Right now, in Arizona, there is a little girl waiting for a kidney. Right now in Maine, there’s a mother of three young kids who is waiting for a liver transplant. If they can have an organ, their story will be a happy one, and the sooner more people sign up, including you, the sooner those waiting lists will go down, and the sooner those people will get the life they were meant to live.
Outline
I. Introduction
i. Attention Step
By this time tomorrow 12 people in America who are alive right now will be dead.
ii. Preview
12 people will die because they could not get an organ transplant in time. There are potential donors who pass away each day who could meet the needs of people on the waiting list, but they die without leaving donor instructions.
II. Body
i. Need Step
a. Nearly 60,000 Americans are waiting for a life saving organ transplant.
b. Hundreds of thousands more would benefit from a life enhancing tissue transplant.
c. Every day 12 people will die while awaiting a transplant.
ii. Satisfaction Step
a. There is a network across the United States that links hospitals with one another and can match donors with patients.
b. There is a sophisticated system running which ensures that donors are all brought into the system as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.
c. How you can help:
- make the decision that you would like to help someone else.
- get it on paper.
- get a Donor Card
III. Conclusion
i. Summary
Nothing but good can come from this.
ii. Visualization
Right now, in Arizona, there is a little girl waiting for a kidney.
Right now in Maine, there’s a father of three young kids who is waiting for a liver transplant.
iii. Action
The sooner more people sign up,
including you,
the sooner those waiting lists will go down,
and the sooner those people will get the life they were meant to live.
References
TransWeb: All About Transplantation and Donation
http://www.transweb.org
Coalition on Donation
http://www.shareyourlife.org
United Network for Organ Sharing
http://www.unos.org
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