Have you lived your entire life, never doing a darned thing for anyone? Well, shame on you and here’s your chance to make it up to everyone. In the end, you could do so by gifting them with life. By donating your organs and tissue you can give up to 8 people a fresh lease on life.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the premier go-to folks for organ donor awareness, there are currently about 115,655 people waiting for an organ transplant. Coincidentally, I believe that is how many people were in line ahead of me at Starbucks this morning. Proof that not only is coffee addicting, but they must put something in it there. I said this to the guy in line behind me. He said “Yea…caffeine, lady, that’s what they put in it!”
Sadly, of those 115,655 people waiting for an organ to be donated, 18 will die each day waiting for that organ that will never come. And, there are donations you can make even while you are still alive. Such as a kidney or part of a liver or pancreas. And, with time, a liver will regenerate itself in the donor. Cool, eh? Just like in an old Science Fiction movie. Modern medicine has certainly come a long way. So have computers. I remember when people were just talking about computers and internet. And, like everyone else, I was thinking computers and internet?…witchcraft. Heck, they even do hair transplants now. So, if your only affliction is vanity, there you go. Because there’s only so much you can do by combing that hair over the bald spot. The same with bald tires…you can’t just comb the tread over the bald spots…eventually you have to get new ones…tires or follicles.
November is National Bone Marrow Awareness Month. Here’s three steps you can take to help. Register to become an organ donor. Inform family and friends of your decision. And be involved by promoting information about organ and tissue donation. Oh, and there’s a fourth, actually. Stop drinking so much…you’re ruining that perfect, pink, donatable liver. I should know, that’s my family for you…all heavy drinkers. At our family reunion, everyone brought two coolers. One large cooler for their beer and another smaller cooler containing their back-up liver. To better educate yourself, there are many websites solely devoted to this issue. And, you can take a quiz to see how much you know about organ donor awareness and transplantation awareness at www.medindia.net
There is also a daily quiz you can take at www.organdonor.gov
So do it for others, or do it for yourself. Donate the gift of life. Or, just go ahead and donate that brain to science. You’re not using it anyway.
Until next week…be considerate of others…give of yourself.
Daun Thompson, Comedienne /Artist / Someone’s Future Ex-Wife
Organ Donor Awareness – Comedy Defensive Driving