NY State Stinks at Organ Donation, How Can We Get Better at It?

A new piece of information has come to lite and New York just might want to be embarrassed about this. Where does New York rank on the list of states as to how many people are willing to or have given organ donations? Lets just say last place or 50th on the list isn't something that we should be bragging about.

National Donor Registration Day is in February, but why wait? Let's get on this now.

I personally go round and round about this with my father. He is someone who has made his wishes known that he does not want his organs donated. I have asked him to share with me why, not to try to change his mind, but to see his side of the story. He won't share.

Here is probably a statistic that you might not be thrilled with, the State of New York only has 22% of its residents who are signed up to donate their organs. The national average is 47%. Wait, as a "New Yorker", are you going to settle for being average?

Maybe I am closer to this? I know two families that were recipients of organ donation. So, yes there is a good chance I am biased. And, since you asked, yes, I am signed up to be an organ donor. I am also on the Marrow Donor registry as well.

If you have just been meaning to get signed up to be on the organ donor list, but haven't, here are a few simple ways to get signed up.

• donatelife.net
• New York Organ Donor List
• When you renew your drivers license

Here are the organs/tissues that you can donate and help someone else with, from the NY Donate site.

• Organs include: heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver and intestines.
• Tissues include: eyes/corneas, skin, bone, ligament, blood vessels, nerve, cartilage and connective tissues.

If you have your mind already made up, we probably can't make you change it overnight, but think about signing up. There are approximately 9,500 people on the waiting list for a donation in New York State at any given time. You just may save a life and enrich the lives of others who will have their loved one still with them.