I’m joining hundreds of bloggers around the world on today to educate the world about organ donation. I’ll admit that I am not as educated as I could be about the topic, but my driver’s license does indeed state that I am an organ donor!

I know there’s plenty of reasons that people have for not wanting to be organ donors. For some it’s against your religious beliefs and for other’s it’s a matter of personal fears or values. I’m not going to preach or try to change your mind.

I will however pass on information. If you’re undecided or unaware, perhaps this will help.

From BlogCatalog’s campaign initiative page:

Stop The Black Market!
Slate Magazine took a hard look at a growing problem around the world. Organ donation is so great, some poor people are being convinced to sell their organs on the black market. In Pakistan, 40 percent of the people in some villages are turning up with only one kidney. There is only one way to stop it and that is encouraging more people to become donors. See the article! http://slate.com/id/2164177/

Success Story! Alex Pratt of Los Angeles suffered from kidney disease for over 20 years. It was a huge burden on his wife and two children until he received his first transplant in 1993. Unfortunately, it only lasted 9 years, so he had to wait another four years for a second transplant. He would have never gotten a second chance if not for http://www.MatchingDonors.com and a paired donation program at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Donors Needed! In Australia, more than 1,700 people are waiting for organ transplants. In Latin America, more than 50,000. In Europe and the United States, more than 95,000. In China, more than 2 million. In Africa, there isn?t enough organization to really know. Without an organ transplant, these people will die. There are many statistics and links to find a good story at Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_donation

Other Bloggers who have joined in this effort:

Imperfection at It’s Finest

Literary Minded – Touching success story about her father’s transplant

Wahseh

Robin’s Kara - Organ Donation and Buddhism

I’ll post more as the day goes on.