Poll On Organ Donation In The Mother Lode
An informal myMotherLode.com poll asked “Are You Designated As An Organ Donor Through The DMV?” The results were 55 percent Yes and 43 percent No. Over 590 votes were made over the two day poll. A related news story was posted before the poll ran noting that District 8 Republican Senator Tom Berryhill not only supports California making April “Donate Life” month he is also a heart donor recipient. His blog about the approved resolution is here.
Donate Life California, the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry reports, “Despite the vital need, only about 40 percent of adults in California are signed up to be organ, eye and tissue donors, putting California well below the national average of 50 percent.” It goes on to say that each day in the U.S., 21 people die waiting because the organ they needed did not come available in time. Organs needed for transplant are heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas or intestine. People of all ages, ethnicities and medical histories can register to be organ, eye and tissue donors. Tissues for transplant include cornea, skin, heart valves, bone tissue, tendons, veins, ligaments and cartilage. More than a million tissue transplants are done each year, and the surgical need for tissue has been steadily rising. Corneal transplants restore sight to nearly 50,000 people each year.
There is no age limit for organ and tissue donation. Anyone age 13 or older can register online at anytime, although the final decision is that of the legal guardian(s) until age 18. Conversely, no one should rule themselves out because they are “too old”. There has been a 93-year-old kidney donor and a 99-year-old cornea donor! – See more at: http://donatelifecalifornia.org/education/faqs/myths-debunked/#sthash.QDhkHIZS.dpuf
