Whether it’s a new kidney, a liver, heart, pancreas, or a lung, about 18 people die waiting for an organ transplant every single day. When someone’s organ fails, breaks or they simply do not have one, they get told that they’re going to need a transplant. They get put on a list of about 123,928 people to wait until they have an organ that would work good for them. Another person gets added to the list about every 20 minutes. Of course the people that have been waiting the longest or in critical condition get them first, but some of those people die before they can get their transplant. So how can you help? You fill out one form, and receive a card; it really is that easy to be an organ donor. After you pass away, you don’t need your organs. So why don’t you donate them to someone who does?

Donating your organs is important because “being an organ donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that can be a lifesaver.” (Mayo Clinic Staff). Giving someone else your unneeded organs can save their life. An organ might be the one thing that they need to keep them alive. There are not enough organ donors to save the lives of everyone on the list, so some people do end up passing away as they’re waiting for an organ. Their lives get shortened because people didn’t donate an organ that they needed to stay alive. The organs go to waste, when they could be reused to make someone happy. Donating your organs means a lot to the people that need them. A former cornea transplant recipient named Patrick says: “I feel, as I’m sure many recipients do, a drive and responsibility to use this phenomenal gift to its fullest; to use it not only to benefit my own life, but the lives of others.” (Pruitt). This shows how much a transplant means to people who get them. Knowing that someone did something nice for them makes them want to do nice things for others too.

Another benefit is that you can donate during your lifetime instead of only donating after you die. This would make you a living donor. So that means that you might be able to meet the person that you’re donating to and they would be able to thank you for your lifesaving gift.  “While it is important to talk about end of life decisions including organ donation, it is now becoming more common to donate organs and partial organs while living.” (UNOS). You would be able to donate kidneys, lobe of a lung, partial liver, pancreas or intestine.

Some may think that it’s not a big deal, but people are dying because not enough people are willing help to save their lives. They’re a dying over something that could have easily been resolved. Everyone should sign up to be an organ donor. You can save 8 lives if you donate all your organs. All they need is just a little help from us to save them. But, unfortunately, thousands die every year waiting for a organ donor that never comes. You have the power to change that. You have the power to save a life.