Sharing Yourself With Those in Need
By JAMIE LYNN PERNA | Oct. 30, 2002Since I was a young teenager, I knew there were certain things I wanted to do when I grew up: travel the world, own a horse, adopt some children (in addition to having my own), and donate my organs - when I no longer needed them - if possible.While I've only accomplished a very minute part of the above list (through some traveling), I still plan on being able to, one day, check off each of those items as complete, despite the beliefs of others.Although they supported me in my other future endeavors, when I told my parents I wanted to donate organs that would serve only as worm food otherwise, they thought I was less than sane.My father advised me against signing the back of my driver's license for fear of receiving inadequate care in the case of a car accident or some other devastating incident that landed me in the hospital, and my mother thought I was plain crazy for wanting to be cut open and apart.But I could not understand their reasoning, no matter how hard they tried to drill their opinions into my stubborn head.According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, 63 people receive an organ transplant each day, while 16 people on the organ waiting list die because of the scarcity of donations.While I understand people's reluctance to donate vital organs, I do not understand their inability to see past their selfishness to share their life with others, especially when they are sharing things they can no longer use.Organs like hearts, kidneys, pancreases, lungs, livers and intestines can all be given to someone they can better serve, simply by signing the back of your license or carrying a donor card.
