With more than 106,000 Americans currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, there’s no question that we need organ donors more than ever. Every day, 17 people die waiting for an organ transplant. What if you could save even one of those individuals? When you sign up to become an organ donor, you can.
How Many Lives Can a Donor Save?
One Organ Donor Can Save Eight Lives
As a donor, you could save the lives of eight individuals in need of an organ transplant. Those eight people could make a positive difference in the lives of their family and friends simply through their presence, expanding your potential to leave a lasting legacy.
Organ donation can include the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines, with the potential to help multiple people with various medical needs and conditions.
One Tissue Donor Can Help 75 or More People
Although organ donation is a well-known topic, tissue donation is often less so. Tissues that can be donated include bone, tendon, skin, heart valves, veins and arteries, nerves, and corneas. A tissue donor can help 75 or more people, changing dozens of lives with their generous gifts.
If you’re ready to be an organ donor or are even just considering becoming a donor, visit Gift of Life today to learn more.
Real-Life Stories of the Gift of Donation
There are so many stories of the powerful impact of organ donation, including many situations in which a single donor saved multiple lives.
- After the tragic death of his seven-year-old daughter, a Michigan father chose organ donation to honor her generosity in life. That decision saved five lives and inspired countless individuals to become organ donors.
- When her husband unexpectedly passed away in 2021, one woman realized that his final gift changed the lives of 10 patients and their families.
- A young man from Benzie County tragically passed away in 2020, but his giving spirit lived on after his organ and tissue donations saved five lives.
- Donated bone helped a Battle Creek woman achieve her life-long dream of becoming a police officer.
- Donated tissue has helped countless women recover from the stigma of breast cancer surgery.
Why Become an Organ Donor?
Becoming an organ donor benefits more people than you might realize, providing an incredible opportunity to change the lives of recipients and their loved ones.
It is a common myth that medical professionals don’t “work as hard” to save the lives of organ donors, but that is blatantly untrue. Doctors and other healthcare professionals are morally and legally obligated to take every possible measure to save an individual’s life – and if a patient is an organ donor, it changes nothing.
Organ donation for patients from communities of color
Ensuring a match between donor and patient can be a complex process that involves many factors, which is why it is so vital that there is diversity in the organ donor registry. The more diverse the organ donor registry, the more likely patients will be able to match with a donor in time to save their lives. Matching blood types and tissue markers are more likely to be found among individuals of the same ethnicity, but there are significant availability gaps for many patients in need.
Right now, more than half of all patients on the organ transplant waiting list are from communities of color. This makes it more critical that individuals from all ethnicities, particularly communities of color, become organ donors.
Become a Donor Today
Signing up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry is a quick and straightforward process that takes less than five minutes. Millions of Michigan residents have joined the registry – and today, you can add your name to the list. Registering as an organ donor is a kind and selfless act that benefits so many other people in need. Do your part today to help your fellow people in the future. It’s time to become an organ donor.
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