February 24, 2012
Organ Donation: The Gift of
Life
Every day, about 77 people
in the United States receive
organ transplants. For
those individuals and their
loved ones, receiving an
organ transplant is
literally life-saving.
These are people who
have had a failed heart,
lung, liver, pancreas, small
intestine, or kidney.
Even as advances in medicine and
technology progress, 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.
Currently in Wisconsin,
there are more than 1,500
people on the waiting list
for an organ transplant.
Nationally, over 102,000
people are waiting for an
organ donation. Every 13
minutes, a new person is
added to the waiting list,
and nearly 18 people die
every day waiting for an
organ.
Fortunately, anyone can
register to be an organ
donor, and it may be a good
idea to make the decision
now as to whether you would
like to be an organ donor or
not. Many times, upon
the death or impeding death
of a loved one, it is
difficult for family members
to make the organ donation
decision during a
time of great anxiety,
stress, and grief.
As a registered organ donor myself,
signing up is easy to do.
The State of Wisconsin has
an on-line organ donor
registry available. Those
interested can sign up at:
www.YesIWillWisconsin.com.
The site is easy to use, on-line
registry is secure, conforms to federal
health care privacy laws,
and can only be accessed by
health care security codes.
Those interested in organ
donation can add or remove
themselves to or from the
registry at any time.
Registration does not
override the surviving
family’s wishes, but may
help some families make the
tough decision if necessary.
A single 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; and donated skin
saves lives of those with
severe burns and repairs
functional and cosmetic
defects. One of the
foremost
organ medical centers in the
world is right here in
Wisconsin at the UW Hospital
and Clinics Organ
Procurement Organization.
In fact,
it is recognized as one of the
most successful organ
procurement programs in the
nation.
There is no cost to the
family for donation and
anyone can elect to be an
organ donor, regardless of
age or 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 Wisconsin’s
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
