Happy Saturday! Today on the blog I’m partnering with Done Vida to highlight an important topic I’ve discussed on the blog before, which is being an organ donor.
Done Vida is a federally-designated, local non-profit organization in charge of the recovery of organs, eye, and tissue for transplantation. There is a major need for organ donation across all communities, ages, races, and economic classes.
Although donation and transplantation can take place successfully between individuals from different racial or ethnic groups, transplant success is often better when organs are matched between people of the same racial or ethnic background.
People of African American/Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native and multiracial descent currently make up nearly 58% of individuals on the national organ transplant waiting list. These communities are in great need of more organ and tissue donors.
Here are some current statistics regarding organ donation:
As of December 15, 2017 there are 115,757 people on the waitlist
in the United States.
Data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) 
In the Washington, DC metropolitan area there are 2,203 people waiting for a life saving transplant.
- 21 people die each day waiting for a life saving transplant
- Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the waitlist
- One person can save up to 8 lives
- A person can donate (left to right in images): heart, two kidneys, the liver can be split in two sections, two lungs, one pancreas, and small intestines
4 Common Misconceptions About Being An Organ Donor:
- If I have a heart on my driver’s license, the doctors will not try to save my life.
- Answer: Medical professionals do not have access to this information and cannot proceed with organ donation without calling Done Vida.
- I’m too old or too sick to donate.
- Answer: You are never too sick or too old to donate. Almost all of organ donation cases happen after death and medical professionals will determine if someone can be an organ donor. You should still register!
- My religion does not support donation.
- Answer: All major religions support donation. If you have any questions, please talk to your religious leader or spiritual advisor.
- Is there a cost to be an organ, eye and tissue donor?
- Answer: There is no cost to the donor’s family for donation. The donor family pays only for medical expenses before death and costs associated with funeral arrangements.
If you’re interested in becoming an organ donor, you should discuss your decision with your family and/or loved ones. Because most donation transplants happen after the donor has died, families and loved ones should know what your wishes are. My family know that I’m an organ donor, and I’m happy with my decision that will help others.
Have the conversation about being an organ donor with your family.
Thanks for reading! You can register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor at donante.org!
More info:
http://www.beadonor.org/en-espanol
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I’m a donor! Great topic to shine some light on, Kasi.