Organ donation has recently come into the spotlight as more people talk about how much good it can do: and what it really means to become an organ donor. If you’re considering organ donation, or you’re curious about the reasons people do it, this is a rundown on everything you need to know.
Living Organ Donation
Most organ donations are things you can do while you’re alive and are financially free to do, but they should be carefully considered. This can be a kidney, a liver lobe (which will regrow), a lung or part of a lung, part of your pancreas, or part of your intestines: which won’t regrow. Donating blood can also be incredibly useful.
Any of these donations can save lives and offer people the chance to enjoy a longer and healthier life than they would have otherwise: while you’re still alive as well.
End-of-Life Donation
End-of-life donation is an option where your organs and body will get the most use after you’re no longer using them. Donating after you’ve died can save up to eight different lives and can give them a chance to lead a healthy and longer life.
This is something you can do without feeling the pain or dealing with the waiting time of surgery, and it can allow you to live on through the patients who need the organs.
How Many Lives Does This Save?
Donating organs and blood while you’re alive will allow you to save countless lives. Donating organs after you’ve died can allow you to save up to eight organs, giving you the chance to safely and easily protect others from dying. Both options are fantastic for anyone who can sign up for them.
How Do You Sign Up For It?
To donate your organs, most states allow you to opt-in while you’re signing up for a divers’ license or registering to vote. You can also take another use by donating your body to science so it can be used to help train future doctors and be put to use by medical professionals to save lives.
Whichever service you sign up for, make sure you study what they do with the remains, what they offer the families of donors, and if their values align with your own.
Are There Any Negatives?
Organ donation, while you’re alive, can have some negatives. These include the healing time from surgery, the pain of surgery, and the loss of that organ until it heals or replaces the lost portion.
End-of-life donation has no negatives unless you’re in a religion that requires you to be buried intact with all of your organs or body parts. Although this isn’t in every religion, it’s something to think about before you donate.
Organ Donation is Something Everyone Should Consider
Whether you’re trying to do everything you can for other people’s health and wellbeing, or you want to live on through the people you donate to: this is a great choice for anyone. Consider signing up to be an organ donor, and make a real change.