Organ Donation Saves Lives Essay -- Persuasive, Argumentative, Argumen

About seventy-Four people a day receive an organ transplant, however an average of seventeen people die each day waiting for transplants. Did you know that more than 88,000 men, women and children currently await life-saving transplants? Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list. Of those 88,000 waiting, 61,000 of them are waiting for a kidney. How many of you reading this are organ donors? I use to feel that I didn't want a doctor taking anything from me after I have passed, even knowing that two of my family members, an uncle and cousin, had severe kidney disease. It wasn't until after they had passed away that I really thought seriously about organ donation. I'm not proud of my prior ignorance or ambivalence on the subject of organ donation. However, I am now more knowledgeable on the subject. I have a bumper sticker on my car that reads, "Don't take your organs to Heaven, Heaven knows we need them here" and how true that is. When yo u hear something like that it tends to make you think about your decision not to donate. But in all honesty I wasn't completely sure about just giving my organs away, I had to do my research on organ donation, I had questions, and I wanted answers. Questions like: How are organs distributed? Can I agree to donate some organs or tissue and not others? If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation preferences on my driver's license, will my wishes be carried out? And Can I change my mind? These are some of the questions I will answer for you today along with giving you a brief description about what life is like waiting on a donor list. The first successful kidney transplant was in 1954 and is the most common transplant today. The primary f... ...donate some organs or tissue and not others? Yes. You can specify which organs you would wish to donate. If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation preferences on my driver's license, will my wishes be carried out? Even if you sign a donor card it is essential that your family knows your wishes. Your family may be asked to sign a consent form in order for your donation to occur. Can I change my mind? Yes, and you have that right to do so. You can change your mind at any time. In conclusion, people of all races, all nationalities, and all ages, depending on the cause of death, die and take with them very valuable organs that can help to fulfill a healthy life for someone who desperately needs them. What if that someone was sitting next to you? What if it was me? Or what if it was you? Don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here.