When you’re in the process of getting your drivers license, it’s mandatory to take that pesky drivers test. After taking the exam, you’ll come across an important yes or no question. Would you like to register to become an organ donor?

Many may instantly be able to to circle ‘yes’. However, some may be hesitant in which answer to choose. The idea of what happens when you die can be a difficult thought and may be hard to comprehend. Even more, the thought of your of your organs being harvested is not a very comforting image. Yet, it’s for an amazing cause.

On average, there are about 110,400 people of all ages waiting in line for some sort of organ transplant, just in the United States. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the average wait for an organ takes about three to five years. Due to the long wait, twenty people will die every day. With the amount of deaths that happen every day, you’d think that the wait wouldn’t be so long, but only 54% of the United States population are organ donors. Therefore, the wait for an organ insanely delayed.

When deciding whether you should mark yes or no on the question, there may be a couple doubts you have.

For example, you may ask yourself, “Does my religion support organ donation?” Most religions do support organ donation and see it as “The Ultimate Gift of Life”.

Another common question is, “Does organ donation affect funeral plans?” Organ donation should not affect or delay a funeral. Neither will organ donation affect how your body look physically when you die. Ultimately, there are no significant downsides when it comes to organ donation.

If you want to give back to your community and help out with organ or blood donation, then you should join Connect Life. Connect Life, previously known as Donate Life, is an organization that helps organize and run organ, eye, tissue and blood donor networks all across the United States.

Mrs. Liberta, who runs the club with Mrs. Utzig, says, “For me, the best part of Connect Life is knowing I made a difference in someone’s life or helping a person have more time with their loved ones.”

Connect Life is a great way to take part in your community and gain more knowledge on how donating works. Mrs. Liberta goes on to say that, “This particular organization takes all of the organ and blood donations and uses them strictly in the western New York community, so you can be helping a neighbor, a friend, or someone close by.”

Over the course of the school year, Connect Life does many different activities and fundraisers. One the biggest events they do is the annual blood drive. They put on many different games and activities to bring awareness to organ donation and motivate students and teachers to take part in the blood drive.

Also, Connect Life takes a field trip every year. Last year, they took a trip to Hilbert College where they got to hear others’ stories and learn more about how organ donation has an impact on others’ lives.

Overall, organ donation is a great way to give back to the community. By marking ‘yes’, you have just taken the opportunity of allowing the gift of life to pass on, even when you’re not here anymore. The thought of death may be quite difficult to comprehend, but knowing that you left the world making a positive impact on others’ lives makes death less frightening. If you are or want to register as an organ donor, just know that you will make big impacts on people’s lives and families.

If you are curious about the club or have any more questions, visit Mrs. Liberta in room 309 or Mrs. Utzig in room 306.

Camryn Watson

Camryn is currently a junior at Sweet Home High School who moved from California to the Sweet Home district last year.