The Top 10 Reasons You Need to be an Organ Donor!
“There is one thing I know about my donor: no matter what they did while they were here on Earth, they died a hero. They saved my life, and that’s a debt I can never repay.”
Thinking about organ donation can be scary because it makes us grapple with the idea of our own mortality and the mortality of the ones we love here on earth. I get it. It's a lot easier not to think about it...but, the truth is, we all have a finite number of days of life that are inside of us which we will get to experience ourselves!
Our organs, however, may have many, many more and just may be the key to helping someone else take back the time that has been stolen from them because of illness. So, here are the Top 10 Reasons You Need to be an Organ Donor!
#1 You can't take 'em with you!
Regardless of what after-life perspective you may hold, one thing is universally clear, you can't take it with you: Money, possessions, pride, accomplishments...none of it, including your organs. Becoming an organ donor is like having a key to a box full of treasure and being willing to give that key away, knowing that you'll be able to spend none of it where you are going, but realizing that by leaving it behind, you'll be able to bless those who are still here.
#2 It's Quick and easy...for you, that is!
Becoming an organ donor is just about the easiest thing you can think of! You can sign up online at www.unos.org in less time than it will take you to finish reading this list...go ahead, click away! I won't even be offended.
…and welcome back! See, wasn’t that easy? You'll miss the hard part, where skilled surgeons, at the tops of their fields, will perform almost miraculous surgeries, using the parts of yourself that you've gifted. Working tirelessly to provide the gift of life to numerous other people, with your donation...these surgeons will get to change the course of history, and you'll get to share in that victory with them!
#3 The Wait-list is Just Too Long..
Sadly, right now in the United States, the number of people who are in need of organ transplants is outpacing the number of available organs. Currently there are almost 110,000 people waiting for a transplant, with another patient being added to the national registry every 9 minutes and in 2020 there were only just over 12,000 people who donated organs. And while this isn't fun to think about, the reality of that statistic is that 17 people die everyday waiting to be matched with an organ that, had it been available, could have saved their life.
#4 One person can save up to 8 lives!
A single donor has the opportunity to save, up to, 8 lives with their donation and beyond that, if they are also a tissue donor, they can benefit as many as 75 others. That's right...your body has the amazing ability to offer help and aid to over 80 other sick and hurting people after you are gone, just by becoming an organ donor! Organs that are transplantable include: Heart, Kidneys, Liver, Lungs, Intestines, and Pancreas but tissue donation can also involve the veins, valves, eyes, and skin!
#5 Very few medical conditions, including age, prohibit you from becoming a donor!
Although this is one of the biggest myths that I see surrounding organ donation, the truth is that, there are only a handful of conditions that would make you ineligible to donate, like viral meningitis, active tuberculosis or Creutzfeldt-Jakob (Mad Cow's Disease) and a handful of others. Beyond that, doctors assess the viability of the individual organs and tissue at the time of recovery (the word harvest is no longer used...) Although a patient may not be able to donate all organs, for example, if they suffered a heart attack they can not donate their heart, but are most likely still able to donate other organs such as their kidneys, liver, intestines, etc.
#6 It's totally free!
There is no cost associated with organ donation. It doesn't affect your health insurance premiums or any life insurance policies that you may have in place. And, rest assured, your family won't be responsible for any medical cost related to you being an organ donor, either!
#7 All the cool kids are doing it!
Studies show that Americans, overwhelmingly, believe in the value of UNOS and organ donation and transplant, to the tune of over 90% who say they support it. Strangely enough, only just over 50% of American adults are registered as organ donors! This doesn't mean that the other half can not become an organ donor, even after their own death, but it would be up to the family, at the time, to decide whether or not to donate their loved ones organs and tissue.
Why is this important? It's important because if you are, in fact, willing and passionate about helping others once you are gone, via organ donation, but your family doesn't know that, or they themselves have some kind of ethical or medical reason they would wish not to donate...it's very possible that your organs will not be donated after your death.
The best way to make sure that this doesn't happen is to simply register...like, right now! We're only on #7...you still might be able to register and beat the timing of this article. Let's try...go CLICK HERE now!
#8 It's a way to honor your body!
From Olympic athletes determined to take home the gold, to a child who beats cancer, or an accident survivor who was told they would never walk again, dancing at their own wedding, our bodies are remarkable machines, capable of all kinds of amazing feats. What better way to honor the triumph of your body but by the realization that, in this case, the parts have the opportunity to become even greater than their original sum.
Organ donation serves as a way to celebrate and honor the bodies we lived in, on this earth, for the years that we were here by sharing the strength they still possess with someone else after we are gone!
#9 It can be comforting for your loved ones!
The ideas and the theories that humanity has about the afterlife are nearly innumerable but regardless of what a person's heritage, religion, or personal ideals teach about what happens to us after we die, the beautiful thing about organ donation is that it can often serve as a comfort for the family and friends left behind, that the life of their loved one wasn't destined to end in total darkness or tragedy, and that even in the center of immense pain, there can still be found beauty and hope. In fact, the families of many donors forge life-long friendships with the organ transplant recipients who were gifted their loved ones organs.#10 It could be you!
Well, we made it to #10 and...cards on the table, if you do not know this about me already, the reason that I happen to be so deeply passionate about organ donation is because my sweet Momma is currently on the list, with her 110,000 closest friends, awaiting an organ match to save her life!
Believe me when I say that I would not wish the journey that our family is walking on anyone...but here is the reality, it could be you! I could be you so much easier than you even think possible. We never thought that my mother would ever be so sick. She was (is) young, healthy, she's an RN, and active.
Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think this would be what life had waiting around the corner. Will the good karma of becoming an organ donor ensure that your friends and family always stay happy and healthy? Of course not...but you just never know what can happen. My mother could someday be your mother, or daughter, or sister, or friend. Wouldn't you want as many people as possible willing to help her live? That's why I'm so passionate about organ donation and I hope that maybe, in some small way, I have been able to spark some passion in you today as well!
For more resources about organ donation and transplant or to sign up to be a donor you can visit the amazing and hard working people at UNOS. (United Network for Organ Sharing)
The teams at UNOS not only manage the lists of patients, like my mom, who are waiting on a match but they also manage the donor registries for the entire United States and even provide services for patients and families after they have their surgeries!
Check out all they do at www.unos.org
Sarah Seeds, CNHP and UNOS Ambassador
Sarah, aka: The Plant Based Ginger, has been in the plant-based community for 20 years and has worked in natural skincare as well as the health and wellness sector. Over the years her love of holistic wellness, essential oils, and plant-based cooking has merged to create the PBG website and social brand. Sarah is currently living back in Central Florida, where she was raised, after spending over a decade up in Ohio’s Amish Country! She is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, UNOS Ambassador, Homecook, Coffee Lover, and Fur Mom!