Special occasions

April is National Donate Life Month

In 1983 Congress requested that President Reagan proclaim April 22 through April 28, 1984 as National Organ Donation Awareness Week. Not long after, the name was changed to National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week.

Tommy Thompson, Health and Human Services Secretary, announced in 2003 that April would be a time to recognize the need for donations of organs, tissue, marrow and blood. President Bush issued a proclamation recognizing the observance. He called National Donate Life Month a chance to “honor living and deceased donors and their families across our Nation.” He also urged more Americans to follow their example.

By expanding the event to a full month, more public awareness activities can take place. Thousands of partners throughout the country take part in National Donate Life Month, including associations, state governments, federal agencies, private companies and fraternal organizations. The partners help millions of people learn what they can do to save the lives of those in need.

The event’s message is an important one. Although more than 22,000 organ transplants and 46,000 corneal transplants were performed in 2002, there are still more people needing transplants than there are organs available. Every 13 minutes, a new name is added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list. That adds up to about 110 new people every day for a current total of approximately 84,000 names.

Kidney transplants

Many people are waiting for kidneys and the number is growing. In 2001, 47,830 patients waited for a kidney to become available. In 2002, the number was up to 50,855. About 75% of the increase was among people 50-years old or older. This age group makes up half of the total waiting list, up from 34% in 1993.

Fortunately for kidney patients, dialysis is an alternative lifesaving treatment. This is not the case for other conditions such as heart and liver disease.

While the number of people wanting transplants is on the rise, the number of people donating organs hasn’t changed much. This means patients must wait longer to get organs. On average, 16 people die every day while waiting for an organ to become available.

There is also a growing trend in live organ donations. With the typical wait for a cadaver organ being a few years, many people in need of a transplant look to their relatives, friends and other acquaintances to make living donations, which decreases the wait time for an organ. Willing donors will go through testing to determine if they are a suitable match to the recipient.

National Donate Life Month emphasizes how valuable organ donation is for so many and encourages everyone to become a donor.

How to donate

Almost anyone 18 years or older can donate organs, regardless of their health. If you would like to donate your organs to help save another person’s life, follow these steps:

1. Put your decision in writing. Since laws differ from state to state, log onto www.shareyourlife.org for more information. There you can find out about your state’s laws, request a brochure or download an organ donor card. Another helpful site is www.organdonor.gov.
2. Tell your family what you want to do. Making your loved ones aware of your intention to donate your organs will help them honor your request in the event of your death. It is important to discuss this, because your relatives will be asked for the go-ahead to donate your organs, even if you have a signed donor card. The Donate Life website (www.shareyourlife.org) has suggestions on how to tell your family you want to donate your organs.