Organ Donor
Specific Purpose: I would like for my audience to believe that signing up to become an organ donor will lower the rates of deaths that are easily preventable here in the U.S. May 25, 2005 was the day my life drastically changed. My sister and nephew were involved in a fatal car accident. My nephew Trevyn William passed away at the age of three months, while my sister was left with several serious and life threatening injuries. Death, a topic most of us don't care to talk about but is inevitable in every single one of our lives. What if you had the opportunity to save someone's life without having to do anything while you were alive would you? Whether it's a stranger or someone you've known all of your life. I'd assume most of you would say yes. How many of y'all are organ donors?
After learning about my sister's recovery process at the age of fifteen, I began to enquire more about her survival. After several months of research, I finally became an organ donor on the one year anniversary of my nephew Trevyn's passing along with my entire immediate family. Propositional Statement: Every year in the U.S. there are several thousand deaths that can easily be prevented, but aren't because of the lack of organ donations. I propose that through signing up to become an organ donor and by being aware just how much one person can truly make a difference this increasing number can easily be diminished or even demolished.Before we discuss a solution, we must first understand the deaths caused by insufficient organ donations as a problem. WebMD defines Organ Transplantation as the surgical removal of an organ or tissue from one person (the donor) and placing it in another person (the recipient).
Organs are not the only thing that a person can donate when they pass. One donor could potentially save or aid up to fifty individuals through, organs, skin, heart valves, bone, blood vessels, bone marrow and even connective tissue just to name a few. With all of these things going to waste when you pass my question to you is why not save or aid in several lives. Now that you have acquired the information needed in order to become an organ donor and why this organization is really needed and the impact it truly makes. Let look at the major solution to this problem. In today society, many people opt not to follow through with a certain task due to the lack of knowledge. I'm hoping that with a little more information than you already have maybe it'll be that extra push you need to become a donor. Registration to become a donor is as easy as a few clicks on the computer if one is accessible at www.organdonor.gov .
If one is not accessible, your local DMV has a half page form that does not require ample amounts of information or time. Maybe check it out next time you renew your license or identification card. Registration to become a donor is free of charge and does not require anything of you until you pass away. Womenshealth.org states, "Over all requirements for anyone to become a donor is to be over the age of eight-teen, and even that can be waved with a signature of a parent or guardian." Meaning there is no age limit. Newborns to Senior citizens have been organ donors. (1) Only limitations: (a) HIV Positive (b) Actively spreading brain cancer (c) Some other cases: Other diseases or chronic medical conditions can still donate. If any of y'all are unsure due to health or other reasons signing up does not jeopardize anything. Meaning if you are an organ donor and there is no compatibility there is no harm done.
The problem is that the amount of deaths due to lack of donors is on a rise in the U.S. The number of deaths that occur from recipients waiting on the transplant list grows every year. According to The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network or (OPTN), the number of candidates on the waiting list as of 11:22 am this morning was 117,927. That is 17, 927 more people than the University of Texas Stadium can hold at maximum capacity. ii"About one person is added every eleven minutes. Roughly making that about one hundred and thirty joining every day. On average about seventy five people receive transplants a day leaving a rough estimate of nineteen people dying a day, states The National Network for Organ Donors"( TNNOD.org, 2011).iv) Though the number of donors is growing so is the transplant list. Never meeting the fulfilling the needs of the recipients. v) With anyone and everyone being able to register this is no reason why any of these deaths should occur.
This problem is a growing epidemic that if has not touched you yet, maybe will or has touched someone you know, now that you know a little bit about the problem let's look at another problem to why the organ donor list is not rising as it should. Some of you make be thinking, how can one person make that big of a difference? Well, think of it like this. You could potentially save up to eight lives with just your organs alone. "That's eight people who won't have to spend agonizing months or years on the transplant waiting list, who will get a second chance, because you made the selfless decision to be a donor" (TNNOD.org, 2011).
To recap our problem, lack of organ donors in America continues to be a problem contributing to preventable deaths. Solution Summary: As a strategy to combat this problem, increasing the number of organ donors who register as well as informing people on the difference they are actively making would help to diminished or even demolish these tragic losses. Without the organs form a donor, my sister would not be alive and well right now. My family is forever grateful to the donor and their family. My sister is one hundred percent recovered and three years ago blessed my family with another handsome little boy by the name of Carter Bryson.
Today I hope I have shown you how easily these deaths can be prevented by the registration of any or all organ donors. Knowing how big of an impact one donor can actually make is truly incredible. The choice is yours, but why not leave this Earth knowing you made a significant difference and several people's lives? If you can't remember any of the sources I used in today's speech, find a computer with internet connection, open the browser up to Google, and search the words "ORGAN DONOR". Click on any of the numerous sites followed by clicking on one of the register buttons and you will be on your way to changing history!
