TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Did you know you have the power to save eight lives?
If you have never thought of yourself as a hero, maybe now is the time to start.
There are currently 114,759 people waiting for organ transplants in the United States, and that number keeps growing every day. In fact, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every ten minutes.
20 people die every single day who are not able to get off that list.
But with your help, those numbers can go down.
WTOL has once again partnered with Life Connection of Ohio for the Green Chair Donate Life Sit-in.
For 24 hours there is always someone sitting in the green chair, taking a seat to take a stand on the importance of organ donation.
Life Connection of Ohio promotes and facilitates organ donation in northwest Ohio. The organization was able to recover 64 organs and provide 178 organ transplants last year.
They strongly encourage everyone to be organ donors, and want to dispel any concerns you may have about organ donation:
- First and foremost, medical treatment does not suffer if someone is a registered donor. Every effort will be made to save someone's life, regardless of their choice to donate. The medical staff dedicated to saving lives at hospitals is a completely separate team of people than those who coordinate donation. It is only after all life-saving efforts have failed that donation becomes an option.
- All costs associated with donation are billed to the local organ procurement organization. Donor families do not pay or receive money for their loved one's donation.
- It is important to say yes to donation regardless of age or health conditions, as medical professionals will determine whether someone's organs and tissues are healthy enough to transplant after death.
- All major religions in the United States either encourage donation, viewing it as a charitable act, or leave the decision up to the individual.
Not only can you save eight lives by becoming an organ donor, you can also enhance the lives of more than 50 people through tissue donation.
More than 33,000 lives are saved through organ donation and more than one million people are healed through tissue donation every year.
Tune in to WTOL for the Green Chair Donate Life Sit-in from April 10 at 9 a.m. to April 11 at 9 a.m.
There you will get to meet individuals and families affected by organ donation, either by themselves or their loved ones receiving a donation, or knowing someone who was a donor.
Their stories will touch your heart, and maybe inspire you to get that organ donor distinction on your driver's license.
Anyone interested in becoming a donor can visit Life Connection of Ohio's website.
During the Green Chair event, you can also follow them on their Facebook page.
