Charles de Lint, the award winning author wrote, “Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you’re gone that light is going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back.”
Many of us want to be remembered not only for the person we were, and who we loved, but for the good deeds we’ve done for others. And today, through organ and tissue donation, it’s possible to do very good things for total strangers.
Without doubt, there are many opportunities to give of oneself after death. According to the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, more than 114,000 people are waiting for organ transplants in the United States. Sadly, in 2011, a total of 6,669 patients died while waiting for organ transplants. On average, 18 people died each day because of the shortage of donated organs.
The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation is not only at the core of organ transplantation, but also at the core of a growing phenomenon:tissue transplantation. Fast becoming a routine part of patient care in virtually every hospital and in many doctor’s offices across the country, tissue transplantation could not occur without the kind and charitable donations of others.
“These tissue transplants often save limbs from being amputated,” shares the website The Gift of a Lifetime,“and give sight to the blind. They also allow recipients to walk without pain, lift up a young child, or perform other routine activities that most people take for granted.”
If becoming an organ and tissue donor appeals to you, or to a loved one, please click here to review the answers to the many common questions we hear each day, and to have access to recommended websites where you can obtain further information.
