April is National Donate Life Month. Currently, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant. And that number keeps growing.
Become an Organ Donor
Register with your state donor registry.
“The number of transplants has remained relatively stable, but the number of people waiting for transplants increases every week,” says transplant surgeon Kenneth Brayman, MD.
Some people think you can only become an organ donor after you die. But a living donor can donate a kidney or portions of the:
- Liver
- Lung
- Intestine
- Pancreas (islet cell transplants)
Another myth: “If I’m a registered donor, my medical team won’t try as hard to save me.” That’s absolutely not true, Brayman says. “The job in the emergency room and the intensive care units is to save the life of the individual.” Patients aren’t considered for organ donation until they’re declared brain dead.
In this week’s podcast, Brayman discusses organ donation and what’s required to become an organ donor.
Listen to the podcast:
