Did you know that you can give someone the gift of life by becoming an organ donor? That is what the members fo the Elizabethtown Rotary Club learned on Wednesday during their luncheon meeting at Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery. Gaye Davis, a teacher at West Bladen High school, spoke to the group about the importance of becoming an organ donor.
Davis said Bladen County ranks 97th in the state in organ donation. Morehead City ranks first in organ donation. One person can save up to 8 lives with organs and many lives with tissue donation.
Davis said there is no age limit on donating or receiving an organ. There is no cost to the donor or their family for the donation. Davis said your ethnicity, age race, or sex have no impact on your ability to become an organ donor.
Davis explained that if you become an organ donor, it will not affect your level of medical care. She added that the doctors will do all they can to save your life, even if you are an organ donor.
Davis emphasized that if you die at home, you cannot be an organ donor.
There are certain criteria for organ donation. The donor organ must share the same blood type as the recipient; the donor must be the same height and same build as the recipient, said Davis.
Bladen County has a lot kidney recipients and donors, according to Davis.
She briefly explained the Heart Prevails Law which requires every DMV operator in North Carolina to ask if you are an organ donor.
Davis also shared videos of families and individuals who were touched by organ donation. The first video featured Charles Tillman, an NFL player whose daughter received an organ transplant thanks to an organ donor.
The second video featured the story of Chris Henry, an NFL player. His mother had to make the decision to donate his organs when he passed away from injuries he sustained in a traffic accident. He was able to save several lives by donating his organs.
The final video is called the “Ray of Hope video” and shares the story of UNC Mascot Jason Ray who died from injuries sustained when he was struck by a motor vehicle. Ray was a registered organ donor. He was able to save several lives.
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