It’s smart to learn more about saving lives by becoming an organ donor. Here’s a brief overview:
Every day about 70 people receive an organ transplant, but another 16 people on the waiting list will die because not enough organs are available. Statistics for January to June, 2009 are 7,250 donors, 14,191 transplants, and 103, 495 candidates who are on active wait lists.
Contact the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the current contractor for the nation’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), at 1-888-TXINFO-1. or, visit their website at www.unos.org. The OPTN Website also provides transplant and donor information at www.optn.lorg.
On that website you can also review frequently asked questions and read up to date information about donating organs and tissue, separate myths from facts, read stories about donor and recipient families, review a donor card and a donor brochure.
To launch the organ donation process:
- Indicate your intent to be an organ and tissue donor on your driver’s license
- Carry an organ donor card
- Most important, discuss your decision with loved ones.
