organ donor Archives - Health Beat

April is National Donate Life Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the lives of people saved by organ donation and the donors who made a difference. In 2016, over 33,000 lives in the United States were saved thanks to the men and women who decided to give the gift of life.

During National Donate Life Month, organizations such as LiveOnNY carry out missions or campaigns to educate communities about the importance of organ donation. These initiatives are very important because they address many concerns people may have about becoming a donor, such as:

Religion- Most major religions such as Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and others are in support of organ donation.
Age – If you have been given approval by your doctor to be a donor, you are never too old. The oldest person in the U.S. on record to be a donor was 93 years old.
Health conditions- It is important that you do not rule yourself out as a donor due to medical conditions. Each case is different.
Premature death- The primary goal of doctors is to save your life. Donation is only considered when all efforts to save a patient’s life have failed.

Jamaica Hospital is encouraging people to help play a role in saving or improving lives by registering as organ donors. Research shows that 90 percent of New Yorkers support organ donation but only 25 percent are registered. By registering, you can make a difference and help save up to eight lives.For more information please visit, http://www.liveonny.org/ or www.organdonor.gov

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

At this moment, more than 10,000 New Yorkers are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ. Every 18 hours a New Yorker dies while waiting for an organ transplant. Every two and a half hours a person’s name is added to the New York State organ transplant waiting list. Each of these people is in desperate need of a chance to keep living. More than 6,500 people a year, about 21 a day, die before that organ ever becomes available. These statistics determine that it is time for a change, more than 90% of New Yorkers support organ donation, but only 25% are registered.

One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Thanks to organ donation, more than 2 million years of life have been saved. National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was instituted by Donate Life America in 2003, to be celebrated in April each year. NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

It can be hard to think about what’s going to happen to your body after you die, let alone donating your organs and tissue. However, being an organ donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that can be a lifesaver. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 50 through tissue donation. If you’ve never considered organ donation or delayed becoming a donor because of possibly inaccurate information, here are answers to some common organ donation myths and concerns.

There is not an age limit to organ donation. The oldest donor in the U.S. was 93 years old.
Each case is considered for medical suitability for donation after death has been declared. Saving the patient’s life is the health care provider’s main concern and doctors will do everything they can to save you.
Donation is only an option after all attempts to save the patient have failed.
It is also a common belief that organ donation contradicts many religions. Most major religions actively support organ donation including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism and more.

Please join Jamaica Hospital, LiveOnNY and special guest Queens Borough President Melinda Katz as we celebrate National Donate Life Month. Together we are raising awareness about the importance of organ donation. On Wednesday, April 20^th, inside of the Jamaica Hospital lobby at 12:30 pm you can register to save a life by becoming an organ donor. Representatives from LiveOnNY will be available at the event to provide information about organ donation and assist with enrollment in the New York State Donor Registry. Probably the greatest benefit of organ donation is knowing that you’re saving a life. For more information, please call 718-206-6020.