In the United States, almost 50 percent of drivers are signed up to be organ donors. That percentage could be even higher, but a number of myths and misconceptions about the process holds some people back.
For the Ashurst family, registering as organ donors is personal. Mom Carol signed up after her husband received a kidney.
“It gave my husband several more years to live with his kidney,” Ashurst said. “If he hadn’t had it he wouldn’t have made it.”
Many myths prevent people from signing up.’
One woman asked: “If I’m on the verge of death and organs are needed are they really going to try and save me or do they want to save the organs?”
The belief that hospitals don’t work as hard on potential donors is totally false, according to transplant experts.
Howard Nathan, President and CEO/Gift of Life donor program said “If you’re in an accident the first thing is they’re going to save your life not look for your organ donor designation on your license.” Other misconceptions include: Organ donation is against my religion or I’m too old to donate.
Experts say donation is consistent with most major religions and there’s no defined cutoff for donating organs.
(SOT Howard Nathan/President and CEO/Gift of Life donor program) “We’ve used organs from people up to 85,” Nathan said. “Don’t rule yourself out”
There are currently 123,000 people in the United States waiting for a vital organ transplant.
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