by By Wayne Allen Wallen@ communitycommon.com
"The importance of organ donation is huge. There are more than 108,000 Americans waiting for a transplant. In 2009 that number was closer 100,000, so the need continues to rise," Rachel Lewis, Media Relations/Community Outreach Coordinator for Lifeline of Ohio said. "The said fact is that 18 Americans die everyday waiting for a transplant."
Lewis said in Ohio over 3,000 people are waiting for a transplant.
"I run into people who have never really thought about organ donation. Until it touches our lives it's (organ donation) not always something we think about," Lewis said. "There are so many people waiting and sadly so many people dyeing because there are not enough donors that it's worth taking the time to think about and learning about donation."
She said Lifeline of Ohio has a number of resources on its website to inform interested parties about the importance of organ donation.
"By taking five minutes to learn about donation and signup as a donor you could potentially save eight lives through organ donation and enhance 50 lives through tissue donation," Lewis said. "You have the power to leave an amazing legacy, just by taking the time to be informed about organ donation."
She says there are a number of myths and misconceptions about organ donation. "The number one myth that we here and the biggest barrier to donation is the fear that, doctors might let me go before my time if I am a registered donor. That myth is completely untrue," Lewis said. "We believe what we see on T.V. You are watching prime time television and the same doctor in the E.R. then does the recovery, and then does the transplantation. That's not the way it happens in real life. Unless you've had experience with that you might think that a doctor in the E.R. is concerned about your status as a donor and they are not."
Lifeline of Ohio does there best to connect with people throughout 37 counties in Ohio and two in West Virginia.
"We (Lifeline of Ohio) have free presentations and materials for anyone that's interested. We are coming up on National Donor Sabbath, which is November 12-14th," Lewis said. "National Donor Sabbath, is a time for faith based organizations to declare their support of donation. Another big myth is that people fear that there religion does not support organ donation. All major religions in the U.S. do support it."
She said Lifeline can provide speakers for events and meetings along with materials.
According to Lifeline of Ohio, in the past four years, 52.8 percent of license and state I.D. holders in Ohio have registered as donors, compared to 38.2 percent in Scioto County.
For more information about Lifeline of Ohio, visit www.lifelineofohio.org.
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