DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS - QUINCY, ILLINOIS

"Make your decision. Save a life." by Brooke Hasch | KHQA ABC TV QUINCY, ILL. -- Approximately over 90,000 people are waiting for the gift of life, Each day, about 74 people receive an organ transplant. However, 17 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs. Coming to terms with the death of a loved one can be extremely difficult on a family. One of the decisions you may face is whether or not to donate a person's organs. Blessing Hospital wants to make the process easier on families. Tuesday, faculty and staff held a public seminar about the importance of organ an tissue donation and how you go about registering yourself. Becoming a donor is very easy. Anyone with a license can simply check the the organ donor box on the back side. License offices will also ask if you'd like to become a donor and will now print a symbol on the front side of the card. You can also go online to register at both your Secretary of State's website and the First Person Consent Registry. By signing there, you're signing a binding contract that makes you the sole decision maker on your end of life requests. "It is very important for people to become an organ and tissue donor because we have over 4,800 people in Illinois on the waiting list for transplants. And out of the 4,800, actually 1,000 are probably under the age of 18," said Connie Scott, Blessing's Specialty Care Administrative Director. Meet Teresa, Kim and Andy: "Are you an organ donor? 'Actually I am on the donor registry,'" said Kim Saalborn, who received a kidney from a donor. Kim's one of thousands of people who are living today because of someone's organ donation. "They kept saying to look for a donor. You know friends can be donors, you only need to have one kidney. My sister came forward and she donated a kidney for me," said Saalborn. It's a gift of life Kim says she'll be eternally grateful for. It's a feeling she shares with Teresa Haire who received a heart transplant from a donor back in 2002. "Whatever I can give for someone else, I'll be very glad to donate," said Teresa Haire. She has one piece of advice that she's about to take herself. "Take the big step and just sign the registry," said Haire. Several years ago, Andy Tyrrell's son, Matt, did just that...later saving multiple lives. "When he died, we were approached by the coordinators who said he had indeed requested to be a donor. And we had known prior to that, which is unusual for a 20 yr-old to approach his parents about. But it was great for me because after spending three totally helpless days in the waiting room, all the sudden I had something to do," said Andy Tyrrell. "The people out there you're going to save are kinda faceless. You don't know who they are. The reason to sign your license to become an organ donor is you're your family. The people you love, that are close to you," said Tyrrell. "We got a letter from the Illinois eye bank saying that his corneas had been placed with a recipient, which means now somebody will see. So things like that make you feel good. He was pretty exceptional when he was here and he continues," said Tyrrell.