Chief Operating Officer of the Nevada Donor Network; Founder of The Simon Keith Foundation
The organ donation and transplantation system in the United States is working... sometimes. For those that receive the gift of life (including yours truly), the system has indeed worked. Stars aligned, prayers were answered, and a helicopter carrying the precious cargo arrived in time. We got to live happily ever after. We, the lucky organ recipients, are eternally grateful for the miraculous gift that we have received, but thousands more face obstacles outside of their own control. These nameless, faceless Americans sit on the infamous and torturous “list” waiting for their gift; folks on dialysis who spend their weeks exhausted from either preparing for or recovering from this invasive, life-sustaining process; folks who can’t walk a block without being out of breath due to cardiac failure; folks who live their lives staring down death as their chances of receiving an organ decrease exponentially with each passing day. We can no longer act as if the current system of organ procurement is good enough because, for far too many individuals and their families, it isn’t. So the question is: are there alternative ways to increase supply?
THE LIST - In 1996, there were about 50,000 people on the United States transplant waiting list. In 2006, there were 95,000 on the list. Today, that number has ballooned to over 125,000.
TRANSPLANTS - In the United States, there are about 85 transplants performed each day, with the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) reporting over 30,000 transplants in 2015 (an all-time high); yet even with this growth in successful outcomes, an average of 22 people waiting on the list die each day. Instead of diminishing, the problem is actually intensifying. According to Donate Life America, we are adding an average of 144 people to the list each day. At this rate, the list will eclipse 200,000 by 2025.
THE CURRENT SOLUTION. Continue reading
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You have the power to SAVE Lives
Please register as an organ, eye and tissue donor today.
In California:
Donate LIFE California | Done VIDA California
Nationwide:
Organ Donor | Donate Life America
...to ensure donation happens, please share your donation decision with your family. At stake is the legacy you plan to leave.
from Donate Life Organ and Tissue Donation Blog℠ http://ift.tt/25BUxDL
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