Organ Donation is a topic where many different viewpoints come into hand. Organ donation is a way to give someone a second chance at life , but sometimes it can be mistreated and not fully understood. There are many techniques that can be used to increase Organ donation in the world. One of these techniques is to get educated on the subject. If the public would see the shortage in organ donations then it could become on the rise. An effort needs to be made throughout the world to knowledge people on the benefits of organ donation.
Organ Donation is the process of surgically removing an organ from one person and placing it into another person. The person who receives the organ is called a recipient and the person giving is called a donor. The process of Organ donation is very important because it can transform the life of a person. The benefits of just one donation from one person can be numerous , each organ donor can save up to Eight lives and a tissue donor can also save up 75 lives of people.
According to an article from the American Transplant Foundation there is almost up to 114,000 people waiting on the list for an organ transplant. As this list grows every 14 minutes a person gets added to this long list. According to the same article it states “In 2014 4,761 patients died while waiting for a transplant, another 3,668 people became sick and were unable to receive a transplant.” This goes to show that these people on the list don’t have all the time in the world to wait. By becoming a donor this would decrease the number of deaths that happen every minute.
127 our experts are availableright now
First off there are many benefits of becoming an organ donor. The biggest benefit of all is giving someone a second chance at life. Some children are born with an illness and may never have the chance to live a normal life. Just think these children would not have the experience of playing sports , having their first date or even living life simply with family and friends.
Each organ in your body has a use in donating. Your cornea in your eyes can be donated, the cornea is your eyes clear and protective outer layer. This creates a barrier against dirt , germs , and many other things that can cause damage. If your cornea is damaged in any way in infection , injury or scars can affect your vision. When a corneal transplant takes place usually both corneas , go to two seperate people. According to an article from donate life , By performing a corneal transplant it can restore vision , reduce pain , and improve the appearance of an unhealthy cornea.
This article states , “Since 1961 , more than 1,800,00 men women and children worldwide have had their sight restored through corneal transplant. More than 95% of all corneal transplant operations restore the recipient’s vision.” When donating your corneas everyone is eligible to become a donor. The donors blood type does not have to match the same as the recipient. Age , color and eye sight doesn’t matter as well. According to the Eye Bank Association of America EBAA) , more than 84,000 help to restore sight each year. More than 95% of the transplant operations have been successful.
With the transplant of the heart , anyone is eligible to receive another human heart by meeting two major criterias. The blood type of the recipient and the donor have to be the same as well as the size of the heart. Having a heart transplant can be a very risky and scary thing. Your body and life depends on your heart. The question is why would someone need a heart transplant? People may need to receive a heart transplant for many reasons. One of the most common reasons for a heart transplant is that one or both ventricles are not functioning properly and that can cause severe heart failure.
According to Heart Transplant American Society , patients who need a transplant are because the blood flow to the venous system is slow and the veins become congested. Leakage in flow flow has led to irreversible heart failure, this can be the most common in congenital defects with just a single ventricle. According to the same article these problems can lead to swelling, fluid accumulation, and protein loss. If a child receives a heart transplant the heart will grow to adult size as the patient grows older. When receiving a heart transplant the recipients have no specific activity restrictions.
Another organ that can also be donated is the liver. The liver is the largest internal organ in the body weighing about 3 pounds. It is reddish brown and rubbery to the touch. According to an article from NCBI the liver size is 7cm for women and 10.5 cm for men. Our liver is one of the most important organs in our body. The liver creates bile which helps to carry away waste and break down fats in the small intestine during digestion. The liver is also the Excretion of bilirubin ,cholesterol , hormones and drugs. The main cause for liver failure includes Hepatitis C , Hepatitis B , long term alcohol consumption , cirrhosis and malnutrition. A liver transplant is an operation in which the damaged liver is replaced with a new healthy liver from a donor. The United States of America performs about 6,000 liver transplants a year. (American Liver Foundation , 2013) And has also performed 592,589 transplants since 19888, according to OTPN statistics. After liver transplants patients have a 86% chance and a 78% one and three years after receiving a liver transplant. However there are still more patients waiting than there are available livers.
Once a person makes the decision to become an organ donor , there are many ways to accomplish that. The way to accomplish this is to sign up on Organ Donor.gov and this makes you eligible to donate your organs after you are deceased. There is no age restriction on organ donation and minors can get parent consent and there is no maximum age at which organs can be taken in. Also when you get a new driver’s license , you will be whether you want to become an organ donor. When you decide yes or no mark your boxes then your information will be sent to the state registry.
In conclusion I believe that everyone should think about becoming an organ donor. This gives more people time and a second chance at life. There are many positive benefits to becoming a donor and those outweigh the negative. You never know who you could save by donating. I myself have received a liver transplant. At the age of 2 years old I was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia , this is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that occurs in infants. This occurs when the bile ducts are blocked and proper flow to the liver does not occur. I was on the waiting list for about a year until I had received my transplant. To this day I have to take my anti rejection medicine for the rest of my life so my body is used to my new liver. I am living my best life , I am happy and healthy as can be thanks to my transplant. This goes to show that you can save anyones life by a simple donation. I was saved by a donor and one day I hope you choose to save someone’s life by a donation too.
