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TagsBY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
More than 100,000 people are in need of organ transplants in the U.S., and some reports say that 18 people die each day due to the lack of availability.
Canadian freestyle-skier Sarah Burke, who died in a training accident last week, wanted to be an organ donor. Burke, 29, was one of the top half-pipe athletes in the world at the time of her death.
Burke family publicist said, “In accordance with Sarah’s wishes, her family has donated her organs and tissues to save the lives of others,” according to the International Business Times.
Burke fell in the Eagle Superpipe in Park City, Utah and ruptured her vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the brain, leading to an internal hemorrhage and causing her to go into cardiac arrest.
According to planetski.eu, Burke fought for the equality of genders in sports and played a large part in helping freestyle skiing become recognized as Olympic sports by the International Olympic Committee.
Mail Online reported that there were problems with Burke’s insurance because her health insurance coverage only covers her when she competes in sanctioned events, and she received treatment in an American hospital as a Canadian citizen. A website has already raised $246,701 of her medical costs.
Individuals in the U.S. can designate their desire to become organ donors on their driver's license. Yahoo! Sports recommends letting your wishes to donate be known to family members, close friends, physician, or clergy, and to include it in your will. Even the donation of one organ may be enough to save a life.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage – give donated organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition. LifeSharers has over 14,900 members, including 395 members in New Jersey.
Please contact Dave Undis, Executive Director of LifeSharers, if your readers would like to learn more about our innovative approach to increasing the number of organ donors. He can arrange interviews with some of our local members if you’re interested. His email address is daveundis@lifesharers.org. His phone number is 615-351-8622.
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