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Organ donation awareness campaign reaches out. |
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In the past 15 years, organ transplants have doubled due to the increase in demand for donors. There are thousands of people who are seriously ill—waiting for a donor—and never receive one. The number of people requiring a life-saving transplant continues to rise faster than the number of available donors. And, organs and tissues from a single donor can extend and enrich the lives of as many as 50 people. You can save much agony and suffering by becoming a donor and possibly saving a life. That is why the Chrysler Group, along with Compuware Corporation, Ford Motor Co., General Motors and the UAW are proud to take part in the Quest for Life Workplace Partnership Initiative on Organ, Tissue and Bone Marrow Donation. This program is intended to increase awareness among retirees and employees of the necessity for organ, tissue and bone marrow donation.
Many people are not aware of the facts when it comes to organ donation. Don’t let myths or rumors keep you from saving someone’s life. There is an extremely high success rate for organ transplants and the procedures performed by transplant teams are done more routinely than they have been in the past. More information can also be obtained through the Gift of Life Web site at: www.giftoflifemichigan.org. • Donation will not interfere with having an open casket funeral service because it does not disfigure the body. • Organs are matched by blood and tissue typing, organ size, medical urgency, waiting time and geographic location. The rich and famous on the U.S. waiting list will not get preferential treatment. •Bone marrow donors do not feel pain when the marrow is removed because anesthesia is used. Some soreness and/or stiffness may be felt up to a week or so post-donation. •Organ donation costs are not the responsibility of the donor’s family. Costs related to donation of organs and tissues are paid by the recipient, usually through insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. It is illegal to buy or sell organs in the United States, and federal laws state that violators are subject to fines and imprisonment
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, thousands of people are on the waiting list for a donor. The critical need for minority organ, tissue, marrow and blood stem cell donors has amplified over the years and minorities can wait nearly twice as long for organ transplants than whites do. Diabetes is four times more likely to occur in Native Americans than in whites. Kidney disease is three times more apt to transpire in African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics than it is for whites. There may be a longer wait for minority patients to find matched kidneys, resulting in increased illness or death while waiting.
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