Why Donate?

This is potentially a morbid subject, but also a life-giving subject.

With the number of people that die every day in this country there is no excuse why anyone needing an organ transplant should be on a waiting list.

It is not as if you are going to need them after you die, so I don't understand why more people don't donate their organs.

It is the greatest gift you can give someone - the gift of life.

There are no religious reasons, and the worry from the "olden days" that you might not be dead (That was what the wake was for, to see if the person would "wake" up.) just isn't a real concern. Today, when they pronounce you dead, you are not coming down for breakfast anymore.

I've heard all the excuses like the system is corrupt and nobody would want my organs and other bull. There is no excuse not to donate your organs and best of all, it doesn't cost you a penny.

If everybody was donating their organs, we wouldn't have thousands and thousands of people on waiting lists. And many that die waiting for the organs that never show up.

The way the system is today, because of the shortage of donated organs, the worst are first. So you have to be almost dead to get to the head of the line. And many die waiting. That is just not right when we have such a big population in this country.

Ask around, you may even know somebody that is on an organ donor list or someone that has had a transplant. I can guarantee you, they have plans to donate their organs when they die.

So what are you waiting for? Find out how you can become an organ donor by following the links on this page. The life you save might be someone you knew.

Special Update:
On January 14th, 2005, I lost one of my best friends. His name was Dan Cloutier.
He needed a liver.

Dan was one of the most faithful men I’ve ever known. He was a good husband and father to two terrific boys. He was an inspiration to anyone that knew him. He was not flashy. He didn’t want to make a big deal of his illness. He volunteered his time to various groups and was an Elder in our church. He quietly gave of himself even though he knew he was running out of time.

He was a special guide for me on my Christian walk. His no-nonsense approach and his dry sense of humor will be missed. I was blessed to have gotten to know him as was everyone his life touched.

I’ve been an organ donation advocate for over 25 years. The problem of scarcity of organs should have been solved years ago. Make sure you are an organ donor and every one you know is an organ donor. The life you save may be someone’s best friend. - John Riley

The Secretary's (Health & Human Services) Donation Initiative
"Fifteen Americans die each day while waiting for an organ to become available. More than 75,000 men, women, and children now wait for a transplant to replace a failing kidney, heart, liver, lung or pancreas. Every 16 minutes, another person joins the waiting list.

Thousands more wait for tissue transplants, desperately need marrow to stay alive, and require blood transfusions. The facts are just astounding! Someone dies every 96 minutes because there aren't enough organs to go around. Sixty percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, however, only five percent do. And, only 25 to 35 percent of those who need a marrow transplant will find a match among their family members."