March 12,
2010
Organ Donation: The Gift of
Life
Each day,
about 77 people in the
United States receive organ
transplants. During the same
time frame, 18 people die
waiting for transplants that
can not take place because
of the shortage of donated
organs. Despite continuing
advances in medicine and
technology, the demand for
organs is vastly greater
than the number of donors.
That is why I urge you to
consider becoming
a potential organ donor,
as April is ‘Donate Life’
Month.
As a
registered
organ donor myself, signing
up is easy to do, and soon,
it will be even easier.
Beginning April 1, 2010, the
State of Wisconsin is making
an on-line organ donor
registry available. Those
interested can sign up at:
www.YesIWillWisconsin.com
. This is the first step to
moving away from registering
donors intentions with the
Wisconsin Department of
Transportation (DOT) to an
easy to use on-line
registry.
The on-line
registry is absolutely
secure, conforms to federal
health care privacy laws,
and can only be accessed by
health care security codes.
It will be easy to update,
allowing registrants to add
or remove themselves at any
time and will eventually
replace the orange sticker
on driver’s licenses.
Registration does not
override the surviving
family’s wishes, but may
help some families make the
tough decision if
necessary.
Even
though many people have
provided organs through
donation, the need for
organ, tissue, blood and
bone marrow donors remains
high. More than 105,000
people are listed on the
national waiting list for
organ transplants, and the
list grows by 100 new names
each day. In Wisconsin, over
1,600 people are included on
the organ or tissue
transplant waiting list.
One donor has the potential
to save or improve the lives
of more than fifty people.
Donated corneas restore
vision for the blind;
donated bone and connective
tissue help repair defects,
promote faster healing and
save limbs; donated skin
saves lives of those with
severe burns and repairs
functional and cosmetic
problems for many others.
There is
no cost to the family for
donation and anyone can
elect to be an organ donor,
regardless of age of
pre-existing condition.
Medical professionals will
evaluate potential donors
and determine suitability
for donation of particular
organs or tissue when the
time for donation arises.
Organs are matched by
several factors including:
blood and tissue typing,
organ size, medical urgency
and geographic locations.
Currently, more than 2.3
million people are
registered as potential
donors in Wisconsin.
For more
information about donation
and becoming a donor, please
visit the National Coalition
on Donation’s website at:
http://www.shareyourlife.org/
. Information on upcoming
organ donation events and
additional information
regarding the registry can
be found at:
www.YesIWillWisconsin.com.
Of course, you may contact
my office anytime for more
information.
-30-
Sen. Kedzie can be
reached in Madison at P.O.
Box 7882, Madison, WI
53707-7882 or by calling
toll-free 1 (800) 578-1457.
He may be reached in the
district at (262) 742-2025
or on-line at
www.senatorkedzie.com
