Organ Donation and Transplant

Island Drug Podcast

At this moment, more than 105,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ. Four thousand more people are added to the national waiting list every day. Each of these people is in desperate need of a kidney, liver, heart or other organ. More than 6,500 people a year – that’s about 18 a day – die before that organ ever becomes available. Organ donors are always in short supply. There are far more people in need of a transplant than there are people willing to donate an organ. Most of the organs that become available come from deceased donors. When you fill out an organ donor card with your driver’s license, you’re agreeing to donate all or some of your organs if you die. A smaller number of organs come from healthy people. About 6,000 transplants from living donors are performed each year. You might have wondered about donating an organ – either to a friend or relative who needs an organ right now, or by filling out an organ donor card. Before you decide to become an organ donor, here is some important information you need to consider.