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Nurses and medical professionals understand the power of organ donation. Becoming an organ donor is one of the noblest actions you can take in our modern world. A person registered as an organ donor can save as many as 8 lives, and improve the lives of nearly a dozen individuals.
However, despite the fact that 95% of all US adults support organ donation, only about 48% of all US adults are registered as organ donors. This “donation gap” is the reason that April has been established by the US Government Information on Organ Donation and Transplantation as “National Donate Life Month”.
One thing is very clear – there simply aren’t enough donors to provide patients with the organs they need to survive. Currently, there are over 119,000 people on the National Transplant Waiting List, and 22 people die each day while they wait for an appropriate organ to become available to them. And though the number of people in need of organ transplantation continues to grow, the total number of transplants and donors has barely fluctuated in the last 10 years.
It’s crucial that as many people as possible sign up for organ donation – partly because only 3 people in every 1000 die in a way which allows for organ transplantation. Increasing the number of people registered to donate organs has a massive effect on overall organ availability – and this is the primary focus of National Donate Life Month.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how to sign up to be an organ donor – and tell you the basics about how many lives you could save, simply by choosing to donate life this April.
How To Sign Up As An Organ Donor
If you’re not already registered, there are three primary ways in which you can sign up to be registered as an organ donor – but each will vary slightly depending on which state you live in.
- Take A Trip To The DMV/BMV – Most people sign up to be an organ donor when registering or renewing their driver’s license or state identification card. Next time you need to go to your local DMV or BMV to renew your license, ask about organ donation – you’ll be registered in the donor registry for your state.
- Register Online – It’s easier than ever to register as an organ donor online. Simply head to gov, select your state, and complete a simple online registration. You’ll just have to fill out a few forms, and you’ll need a valid driver’s license or state identification card.
- Register By Mail – Some states allow you to register for organ donation by mail. You can access a form at your local DMV/BMV, or download a paper form yourself. Fill it out, send it to the appropriate state authorities, and you’ll be registered as an organ donor.
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