18 people will die today!

18 families will mourn the death of their loved ones and be filled with a sense of helplessness that they had no control to save their lives. A. These 18 lives were lost waiting on an organ. B. They weren't born this way they are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, children, someone who is important to someone else, maybe even you. C. Did you know by being an organ donor you alone can save and affect over 50 lives? Part of the problem says Dr. Michael Shapiro on VHL FAMILY ALLIANCE WEBSITE the public is not aware of how great the need for donors has become. We have advanced medical technology so that we can perform more transplants and improve the likelihood of favorable outcomes, but none of this will effect a real change if people are not willing to become donors(VHL FAMILY ALLIANCE). Thesis: The outstanding and dire need for organ donation intensifies hour by hour, I hope by sharing the demand,importance specifics and some success stories I can inform you that organ donation is crucial and needs to promoted more.

DEMAND
A. The need is absolutely real.
B. Organdonor.gov says Right now there are enough people waiting for an organ to fill a large football stadium twice over (Organdonor.gov). Another stunning fact provide by Donate Life America shows that by the time I end this presentation and or around every 10 minutes a name is etched into the long National Transplant waiting list (Donate Life America).

Were talking about 113,115 people that are hanging on by a hope that they will be able to see again, breathe again and live again.

The question we must ask ourselves is how long before we know someone who I know is added to the list or more importantly before me myself and become active.

 IMPORTANCE A. While understanding the outstanding demand for organs and organ donors we can dive into the overall importance. Arthur Caplan writes that The United States alone would lose over 100,000 more people a year ( Arthur Caplan). . B. From donating corneas help a blind man see, to donating a liver to a little girl of six years old. Or even a mother of five children needing a heart or a doctor needing a lung, all of the above are acts of virtue that can forever change a persons life and lifestyle. SHOW SUMMER!!!! D. Id also like to share a poem that really touched my heart and influenced me to support organ donation. The poem is by Robert Test entitled, "To Remember Me," "Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a babys face or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walkTake my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window (provided to me by South Dakota Lions Eye Bank, undated brochure).

 I want to touch on the SPECIFICS of organ donation and the steps to becoming a knowledgeable donor. A. WHAT CAN BE TRANSPLANTED? Heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, intestines, corneas, the middle ear, skin, heart valves, bone, veins, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone marrow and stem cells are all body parts that can be saved to perform a miracle in a persons life. Who can become a organ donor? Anyone no restriction on age just factors like HIV,Cancer and major infections are ruled out. HOW TO BECOME A DONOR: Organ Donation is a simple process that can save many lives. The most important thing to do is to sign up as an organ and tissue donor in your state's donor registry. designate your decision on your driver's license. Tell your family and family physician about your donation decision and include these decisions in advance directives, will and living will (Organdonor.gov).

Thousands of success stories and true miracles take place every year that truly change the saved persons lifestyle and outlook. I want to share a success story that we all can easily connect and the story was written Kristen Zagurski on UnoGATEWAY.com . Jeanette Paulson, 21, a junior at Wayne State College, is a liver transplant recipient. When Paulson was young, she told her father she wanted to be an organ donor, but her father replied that he would not let anyone have his little girl's organs. Little did he know one day she would require another's organ. Paulson was diagnosed with primary sclerosing chloangitis, something very rare for a young Caucasian woman to be diagnosed with. Instead of heading to a tropical destination her first spring break of college, Paulson came to the Lied Transplant Center at UNMC for an evaluation to see if she was sick enough to be placed on the list to receive an organ. She was denied. A year later, during spring break of her sophomore year, cancer cells were found forming in her liver and she was put on the list. She waited nine months for an organ donor. "I didn't know how to feel because I know someone else had to die for me to live," Paulson said. She was only in the hospital five days for transplant and recovery. Unfortunately, many on the waiting list for an organ aren't as fortunate as Tate and Paulson. UNOS Statistics show that of 15 to 17 people die in the U.S. each day while waiting for a transplant (UNOS). "Organ and tissue donation is so important," Paulson said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for organ and tissue donation"(Kristen Zagurski).

 From donating the tissues of your body to a burn victim thats hanging on by a thread, or donating a heart, liver, kidney, intestine, cornea or any other organ can total up and give life to 50 unfortunate people. The overall enjoyment and praise one receives from an organ donation is ultimately indescribable. To save a persons life when the donor knows they have none left is unselfish and a great way to end a full life. All in all, the outcome of donating an organ is endless. The gift of life is priceless indeed and giving hope, faith and a new gasp of fresh air to another person is immeasurable and the bravest thing any one person could do. Does your driver's license designate you as an organ donor? Conclusively by learning the facts, importance, specifics and outcomes of being an organ donor any person can realize what a true miracle organ donation is and how much just one persons donation and promotion can save numerous people. When laid to rest in my final resting place I will be content knowing my tissues and organs are living on in a new person filling them with life, love and happiness.