Tom Jorgensen, former Ames High School teacher and coach, was one of the lucky ones. Jorgensen received a transplant because he had a rare liver disease that caused his liver to cease functioning.
Most people wait six months to two years for an organ.
Jorgensen, chairman of the State Education Committee for the Iowa Donor Network, will be the keynote speaker for Organ Donor Awareness Day, sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society of America. The best chapters will receive awards, but the contest is secondary in the mind of the club members. Hiler said one goal of the day is to encourage people to sign up for organ donation and write letters telling their parents of their interest in organ donation. She said many people do not realize being an organ donor on their driver's license does not guarantee their families will donate the organs, she said. Hiler said the national waiting list for an organ donation is 68,000 people, while only 5,800 families donated organs last year.