Each day 18 people die because there are not enough organs to
meet demand, according to Donate Life, the national
government-regulated organ donation organization. The number of
eligible donors in the U.S. far exceeds the current supply, and the
one obstacle keeping people from signing up to become organ donors
is a lack of awareness.
We must address this national organ shortage. Our organization,
Students for Organ Donation, stands for increasing organ donation
awareness within high schools, colleges and universities
countrywide.
As part of our awareness campaign, the UCLA chapter of Students
for Organ Donation will be hosting a seminar by UCLA transplant
surgeon Jonah Odim. A panel discussion with heart and lung
transplant recipients will follow. The seminar event will
disseminate vital information about the chronic shortage of organ
donors and the field of transplant surgery.
We believe that increased awareness of the serious lack of organ
donors in the U.S. today would in turn lead to increased action by
all citizens, including college students who may be misinformed
about the process of becoming an organ donor or about the depth of
the health crisis with finding organ donors.
According to Donate Life, there are several misconceptions about
organ donation.
If you are an organ donor, you might believe that doctors will
not do their very best to save your life before calling the organ
transplant team. This is absolutely false, as the very thought of
calling in a transplant team doesn’t cross a
physician’s mind until all hope of saving you is lost.
Organ donation is also thought to be an intrusive process after
which an open casket funeral viewing is impossible. This is also
false, as organ donation is akin to surgery in that after surgeons
removed an organ, the body is sewn back up not seeming
“disfigured” at all.
There is even a circulating belief that donating one’s
organs is an expensive process which can somehow leave one’s
family and relatives in debt. This is false, as all the costs and
fees associated with organ donation are picked up by the recipient,
often through Medicare or Medicade.
Lastly, it is believed that signing up to become an organ donor
is a long and tedious process involving medical checkups and
approval from your physician. This too is false. Signing up to
become an organ donor is as easy as pasting a special sticker on
your driver’s license indicating your intent to be an organ
and tissue donor. If and when an organ is procured from a donor,
then and only then will tests be run to see if anyone is eligible
to receive your particular organ.
Those interested in signing up to become organ donors should
visit www.donatelifecalifornia.com.
Ultimately, organ donation is an incredibly easy process for
donors. In essence, all the work is done for them. It is simple to
sign up, free of charge to donate and infinitely priceless in the
value it can have on the lives of others. This rare gift is
possible only through the magic of organ transplantation.
In an ideal world, no one should have to die because there
aren’t enough organ donors. In the real world, however, this
unfortunately isn’t the case. As a society, we cannot become
a stagnant, complacent donating community. Everyone can and should
play a part in giving the gift of life to others. Awareness is the
precursor to action and only after people take action can they go
on to improve the lives of everyone.
Kang is a first-year history of religion and Spanish
student. The seminar will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday in Center for
Health Sciences 13-105.