The sun is shining. The birds are singing. Major League Baseball kicks off the season this weekend. Yes, it’s April, and while all of these are important, they are dwarfed individually and collectively by this being National Donate Life Month.
In recent years, we’ve been very public with our push for informing readers about the vital importance of organ donation, given the long battle of the Town-Crier’s long-time editor, friend, and colleague, Jason Budjinski, who passed away last June after an extended battle with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and Crohn’s disease. If his disease had progressed differently, organ donation could have saved his life.
Donating organs to help save lives is crucial. Anyone even vaguely familiar with the issue of organ transplantation is keenly aware that there is a severe and longstanding shortage of human organs made available for transplant in the United States and around the world.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, there is a huge, and increasing, need for organs; more than 4,000 new patients are added to the donor waiting list each month. There are more than 123,000 people in need of organ donation at any given time, and the ready supply of donors is nowhere close to meeting the demand of patients who very well may die while waiting for their chance at a new life. In fact, every day, while nearly 80 people receive lifesaving organs, another 20 die waiting for their chance.
There has been discussion in some quarters about changing the way organs are made available. This includes the United States federal government making the sale of organs an option. Currently, offering cash for organs is illegal in the United States, pursuant to the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984, which states “it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation.” Federal lawmakers have also previously proposed a $10,000 federal tax credit for living donors. These ideas have been rejected, usually citing ethics concerns, even though nearly 20 states have $10,000 organ donation tax deductions. Florida is not one of these states.
However, there is no need to change any laws and provide any financial compensation — if we all do our part. It’s up to we, the people, to donate to we, the people. And information, as usual, is key to both understanding the situation and resolving the shortage. The point of National Donate Life Month is visibility and awareness. The more people think about organ donation, the more they sign up to help. The life you save might be that of a close family member or friend.
To learn more about organ donation, visit the United Network for Organ Sharing web site (www.unos.org), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ organ donation site (www.organdonor.gov) and Donate Life America (www.donatelife.net).
Registration is simple. If you’re renewing your driver’s license any time soon, all you have to do is check a box volunteering to become an organ donor. If not, you can go online to www.donatelife.net/register-now and sign up. Don’t let another month go by. Sign up today!
