Your story about Jaime De La Cruz (Free Lance Sept., 11, 2004)
highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant
operations. That shortage kills over 6,000 Americans every year.
Most of those deaths are needless. Americans donate only half of
the organs that could save lives and reduce suffering. They bury or
cremate the rest.
Dear Editor,
Your story about Jaime De La Cruz (Free Lance Sept., 11, 2004) highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant operations. That shortage kills over 6,000 Americans every year. Most of those deaths are needless. Americans donate only half of the organs that could save lives and reduce suffering. They bury or cremate the rest.
The solution to the organ shortage is simple – if you don’t agree to donate your organs when you die, then you go to the back of the waiting list if you ever need an organ to live.
A grass-roots group of organ donors called LifeSharers is making this a reality one member at a time.
LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors. Members agree to donate their organs when they die, and they give fellow members “first dibs” on their organs. This creates a pool of organs available first to members. The existence of this pool gives other people an incentive to sign donor cards and join the network, and this incentive grows stronger as the network expands.
LifeSharers also makes the organ allocation system fairer. About 70 percent of the organs transplanted in the United States go to people who haven’t agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers at www.lifesharers.com. Membership is free. LifeSharers has 2,538 members, including 378 members in California.
David J. Undis, Executive Director LifeSharers
submitted via e-mail
