Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? Just imagine a friend was in the hospital in the need of a special organ and they were on the waiting list. A stranger across town just had an accident and was a perfect match. The only problem is, that stranger didn’t have a pink dot on their licence indicating they were a donor. Unfortunately the best friend wasn’t able to get kidney in time and therefore passed away. There are many concerns out there that doctors won't try as hard to save a life which are not true. Helping people understand how the process of how organ donation works is the first step toward alleviating fears that people may have. There is no point in letting your organs go to waste if someone else could use them. Why not “pay it forward” with the gift of life and becoming someone’s “Superhero”? To be an everyday superhero, one should be a organ donor.
There is a great demand for organ donation. An average of over 57,000 patients are waiting for transplants all over the world right this moment, and 11 people die each day waiting for a transplant (Richmond 1). Unfortunately, there are only an average of 5,000 donors per year (Hancock, Craemer, Rossaro 1-3). Many people don’t realize what their contribution means: one person can save up to eight lives (organdonor.gov).If just 7,000 more people had that pink dot on their licenses, that would meet the needs of our donor patients today.
“Only 38% of licensed drivers are registered to be organ donors” (Pope 1). Why so few? “An online survey of 5,100 people found that many people still fear what organ donation really means” (Pope 2). Many people don’t sign up because the license process happens so quick that
a person doesn’t have enough time to think over the question of donation. This week I will turn sixteen years old and will apply for my license. I will have the right to make a choice to become a donor or not. Given my lack of knowledge and attention to this issue, I probably would have checked “no” but this week I will check “yes”. It is unfortunate I understand now how organ donation works only after witnessing a friend pass away because a organ wasn’t available. As a donor I can only not just save a best friend's life but all the way up to seven other people (organdonor.gov). This is a in-famous quote saying “If you save one life, it is as though you save the world” (The Talmud). A Lot of people have many misconceptions about organ donation. According to the Donate Life America survey mentioned before, ”50 percent of respondents are concerned that doctors will not try as hard to save them if they are known to be an organ donor” (Pope 2). All doctors primary concern is save the life of their patient, so a patient shouldn’t be worried about a doctor being out to get them. Something to be aware of is that it's false that “the doctor who is trying to save the life of an injured patient is not the same doctor who recovers organs for transplantation”(Pope 1). A majority of all organ donation fears are because drivers not educated of the major facts of donation. It’s false whom the same doctor who took it out is going to put it back in. There are two simple steps in becoming a donor. One, make sure family members are aware of your wished to become a donor. This is very important because if they do not know your wished they will never be carried out. Secondly, a drivers license will need to indicate the intent one wishes to donate. As simple as it sounds still many people still hesitate on what may happen if they donate. Reality, two lifes die if you don’t donate. Organ donation benefits both