Lifechanging. That’s one of the best words to describe what it is to be an organ donor. For some recipients, the donation will vastly improve quality of life. For others, it’s a second chance they weren’t sure they’d get.
Though 90% of U.S. adults agree and support organ donations, only 60% are actually registered to be donors. (If you’re one of those unregistered 30%, you can register here in under 2 minutes!)
Donate Life Month aims to change that statistic by encouraging individuals to register to be an organ, eye, or tissue donor. It’s a decision you can be proud of, and better yet, it’s a decision that can improve as many as 75 lives.
Here are some eye-opening statistics regarding organ and tissue donation:
- More than 100,000 people are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants.
- 60% of patients awaiting lifesaving transplants are minorities
- Another person is added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.
- 85% of patients on the waiting list are waiting for a kidney, which can be received from a deceased donor or a living donor.
- 11% of patients waiting are in need of a liver. Living donations of part of the liver can be given.
- Each year, there are approximately 58,000 tissue donors and more than 2.5 million tissue transplants; the surgical need for donated tissue is steadily rising.
For more information, visit www.donatelife.net/
How to Register
Maine residents can visit www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/donatelife/ to sign up. You must be 16+ years old and have a State ID or drivers license. Unsure if you’re registered? You can click the same link, enter your information, and find out.
Share Your Story
It’s hard to understand the true impact of an organ, eye, or tissue donation without experiencing just how lifechanging it is. Have a personal story to share that will help educate others? Email rseverance@covh.org to share your story.
