February 27, 2007
Tuesday PM

According to your story, just 45% of the people in Alaska are registered organ donors. I'll bet that 100% of the people in Alaska would accept an organ transplant if they ever needed one.

Over half of the 95,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. Over 6,000 of our neighbors suffer and die needlessly every year as a result.

There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage -- give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.

Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. LifeSharers has 7,909 members, including 14 members in Alaska. Over 700 of our members are minor children enrolled by their parents.

David J. Undis
Executive Director
LifeSharers
daveundis@lifesharers.org
www.lifesharers.org
Nashville, TN

Received February 25, 2007 - Published February 27, 2006

Related News:

Ketchikan Man Gives Heroic Last Gift - There are 95,000 people waiting for organ transplants nationally. In January, a 41-year-old man in Ketchikan helped four of those people through his final and generous wish to be an organ donor. - More...
Friday - February 23, 2997

 

 

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