National Donor Day

In the US, there are over 100 million people registered to be an organ donor, one organ donor can save up to 8 lives! Isn't that amazing? So many people can receive the gift of life from just a few of us being willing to donate.

With the support of the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Donor Day was started in 1998 by the Satum Corporation and its United Auto Workers partners.

There are names being added to the donor waiting list while you are reading this blog; approximately every 10 minutes someone is added. On average, 79% of people receive organ transplants each day. Although, about 18 people pass away each day waiting for transplants because of the shortage of donated organs.

As of May 2009, the percentage of beneficiaries who were still alive 5 years post-transplant are as follows for the heart, liver, kidney, and lung.
- Heart: 74.9%
- Liver: 73.8%
- Kidney: 69.3%
- Lung: 54.4%

For more information on how you can help, becoming a donor or why you should donate, please visit http://www.organdonor.gov