Are you an organ donor?

Me too!  Well, I haven't actually donated anything yet ...  but this morning I took the steps to make sure health care providers will know and honor my wishes when it counts.

In New York State, merely signing the back of your licence is so 3 years ago.  There is now a "Donate Life Registry" with the Department of Health, and it takes 5 minutes, a printer, and a postage stamp to complete.  Why is this important?  Well, prior to 2006, when a person died, even if his or her wishes to be a donor had been expressed to the State, next of kin permission was still required. Now, if you download the consent form online, sign it, and mail it to the Department of Health, you are giving your own permission, and the burden of this decision is lifted from your loved ones; they will be informed of your decision and given information about the donation process, but their consent is not required because you have completed this process yourself.  [FAQ's answered here.]  Laws overseeing organ and tissue donation vary from state to state, so if you're not a New Yorker, here is how to find out about becoming a donor where you live:

http://www.donatelife.net/CommitToDonation/.

Over 100,000 adults and children across the US are currently in need of life-saving organ transplants, and another person is added to the waiting list every 12 minutes.   Yet while waiting lists are growing, donation rates have plateaued over the last few years.  I recently attended a lecture on organ transplantation as a part of our school's "Transition to Residency" curriculum, and it was mentioned that an estimated one-half of eligible, interested donors are missed in the process for a number of reasons - because the deceased person did not make their wishes known; because at the sensitive time of a person's death, clinicians have difficulty discussing donation with the family, and loved ones have difficulty making such a decision.  Many of these barriers to organ donation could be avoided if your consent is given through the State registry.

My own dad has been on the waiting list for a kidney for over a year now.  Statistically, his life expectancy on dialysis is 1/3 of what it would be with a transplant.  While 90% of Americans say they support donation, only about 30% know the necessary steps to ensure they will be a donor.  Having taken those steps this morning, I can promise it's pretty darn easy to do ... just a matter of doing it!