Giving Life

Why do people choose to become live organ donors?

MatchingDonors.com

“There can be nothing more worthwhile as a human being than to save the life of another.”
- Barbara Ryder (Live organ donor)

Looking back, Barbara believes she had reached a stage when many middle-aged people start asking questions about the value of their lives. She is also convinced that the hardships she has faced made her more sensitive to the needs of others. When her only son, Jeff, was a small child, his father “did a Reggie Perrin”, leaving his clothes on Brighton beach and disappearing. A later marriage ended in divorce. “Some people are so comfortable in their lives, it never occurs to them to think of giving back,” she says. “But many people in their middle years, perhaps with families grown, do ask themselves, ‘What can I do now to be useful?’ ”

Donating an organ to a stranger has only been made possible in this country by the Human Tissue Acts of 2004 and 2006. Before, there had to be a genetic link or “strong emotional tie” between any organ donor and recipient, to prevent the trafficking and sale of organs and to improve the chances of the transplant being a success. But medical advances and improved drugs that reduce rejection have now made it possible to carry out complicated transplant procedures between those who are not genetically related.

“It was not a question of why do it, but why not?” says Barbara. “I’m the sort of person who makes up my mind and does not change it easily. I don’t go in for a lot of soul-searching.” (Excerpt from Timesonline, article, “Why do people choose to become live organ donors? by Christine Toomey)

The generosity of live organ donors is remarkable.

It is sometimes hard to find a matching donor: 1000 Americans die each year because they cannot find one.

MatchingDonors.com calls for greater efforts to educate more Americans on the importance of living organ donation. MatchingDonors.com stresses that there is a need for more organ donors as the need for organ transplants raises and reached record levels. Currently nearly 89,000 Americans are in need of an organ transplant and every 16 minutes, another person joins the waiting list, while 17 people die everyday waiting for a transplant.

Learn more about the program: MatchingDonors.com

Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtQbCEz8nlI

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