# Organ donation/Benefits

Organ Donation is a selfless way to make an enormous impact on someone else, by giving him or her the second chance they are helplessly striving for. Thousands of people of all ages and all ethnicities sit around each day and wait for that life saving organ. April Donate a Life Month is an entire month dedicated to this cause. Each April, people locally, regionally and nationally come together to celebrate the lives of those saved and to encourage and promote the donation of organs, eyes, and tissue. The push for organ, eye, and tissue donation is increasing through the years as more and more people are registering to become donors. Becoming an organ donor is a very important choice one must make, as it will not only impact the life of the recipient, but it will also shape the life of the individual donor. With a better understanding of what organ donation is, unraveling the myths associated with it, and understanding the benefits, one can make that life changing decision by signing up for the donation registry and saving a life. Facts: 123,389 people are on national wait list Every 12 minutes a new name is added to the list 21 people die each day due to lack of donations In Missouri, 3,352,005 are registered as organ donors (kidney, pancreas, lung, heart, liver, intestine, etc.) One donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance the lives of at least 50
Process: 1. Acknowledge participation by renewing driver's license or signing up online at state's registry 2. When time comes and death is near, doctor contacts an Organ Procurement Organization representative. 3. The OPO representatives immediately heads to hospital to assess potential organs and search state's registry to see if donor has legal consent 4. After obtaining proof of consent, a medical evaluation (including social and medical history) will be done by medical team 5. Once evaluation is been performed the OPO representative contacts the Organ Procurement and transplantation Network (OPTN) to begin searching for matching recipients 6. The OPTN begins its matching process, by pairing up donor organs with certain characteristics (blood type, tissue type, height, weight) 7. Once the computer generated matching program spits out a list of potential matching recipients 8. The number one person named on the list is the one first offered the organ 9. If accepted, the recipient is admitted into hospital and put in operating room awaiting arrival of organ. 10. Organ transplant surgery is performed
Benefits: Giving someone a second chance at life, Enhancing the life of individuals in need, Giving others independence and returning them to a normal lifestyle, Helping families in grief by giving them satisfaction and comfort knowing their loved ones helped save the lives of others, and a Feeling of goodness and Humanitarianism
Sources: http://health.mo.gov/living/organdonor/index.php http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/consumer-health/in-depth/organ-donation/art-20047529 http://www.donatelifeny.org/about-donation/quick-facts-about-donation/ http://organdonor.gov/whydonate/ http://advancingyourhealth.org/transplant/2013/04/01/pros-cons-organ-donation/ http://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/facts-and-myths/