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The Student News Site of Utica University

The Tangerine

The Student News Site of Utica University

The Tangerine

There’s More Than One Way to Save a Life

Source%3A+verywellhealth.com
Source: verywellhealth.com

Maggie Reid, Features Editor

You do not need to be a doctor to save lives.

By becoming an organ donor, you have the potential to save up to eight people — and signing up is a quick and painless process.

Junior Ashley York became an organ donor due to her interest in health care.

“I think that it (organs) is important to provide for people, even though you are not living,” York said. “You’re not going to need [organs], and it can help someone else.”

Every ten minutes, a new person is added to a donor list, and 20 people each day die waiting for a transplant.

Senior Renee Lewis is not an organ donor, but she is interested in becoming one.

“I am not a donor, but if it came to where I needed to be I would register to become one,” Lewis said. “I’m not registered for it. I think you go to the DMV and put it on your license to sign up. I feel like I would only do it if I was there. If I was able to, I would sign up to be one.”

Sophomore Kristin Daino is also organ donor and signed up at an appointment.

“I’m pretty sure I signed up to be one during a doctor’s appointment when they asked to appoint your health care proxy,” Daino said. “They asked me then if I wanted to be an organ donor and I signed up to be one. It was an easy choice to become one. Being an organ donor helps you save lives.”

Senior Josh Moeckel signed up to become a donor when he got his driver’s license.

“There’s people out there who are in need of organs every day,” Moeckel said. “I feel like for me to not become an organ donor would be selfish in a way. It was one simple step; I just checked off a box when I got my license to become one. It took me no time at all.”

In the U.S., 95 percent of adults support organ donation but only 54 percent signed up to become one. Currently, there is an organ shortage because the number of people on the waiting list continues to grow faster than the amount of people who sign up to become donors, which only goes up slightly each year.

When you sign up to become a donor, you have the potential to donate your heart, two lungs, liver, pancreas and two kidneys.

Junior Chris O’Hara is another UC student who is an organ donor.

“I am an organ donor because I am obviously not going to use them when I’m gone,” O’Hara said. “I signed up when I got my advanced drivers license. It was pretty easy and quick to do.”

Anyone can sign up to become an organ donor, regardless of age and/or medical history.
Signing up to become a donor can be done at at your local DMV or online at organdonor.gov. All you need to do enter is your driver’s license or photo ID and some identification information. The process only takes a few minutes from start to finish.

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