I just wanted to take this opportunity to give a public service announcement. Everyone should become an organ donor.

There are so many reasons that someone may need an organ or tissue transplant. Some people develop age-related problems, some people get wounded in combat, and others have genetic problems or diseases that cause their bodies to malfunction. The scary thing about needing a new organ or new tissue is that it’s a very different problem from a “normal” disease or illness that can be treated. If you need a new organ, you’re waiting on a donation, not medication.

Of course, situations where someone needs a transplant are extremely difficult, but they also present a perfect opportunity for another person to give a gift that very few have the opportunity to give: the gift of life (it may sound corny, but it’s true). By becoming an organ donor, you’re giving consent that if something terrible happens to you and you were to die, your organs could be used to help someone else in need. It doesn’t mean that doctors are going to let you die on the table to harvest your organs for someone else (which I believe is a common fear about becoming an organ donor).

I think we all can put ourselves in the shoes of someone in need, and hope that if we ever needed a lung, or a heart, one would come along. However, hearts and lungs don’t just fall out of the sky, and although recent research makes growing organs in a lab sound promising, we’re not quite there yet. When a miracle is needed, it comes down to those of us who want to be that miracle for someone else.

Let’s put it this way. Say your heart was failing. Your health care provider tells you that you need a transplant. If there was a heart available, you would take it, right? (Unless of course, you object for religious reasons.) Most of us would accept an organ donation, but how many of us are organ donors? It is a little strange and unfair to accept an organ when you aren’t willing to do the same for someone else.

Let me just say that I have a very close personal connection to this particular issue. I, myself, have been the recipient of a blood transfusion, and up until recently, I knew two people in desperate need of transplants; A very close family member needed a lung due to complications with pulmonary fibrosis, and a close friend (only 25 years old) needed a heart transplant.

My family member was unable to receive a lung, and passed way. On the bright side though, my friend received her new heart, and I’m pleased to say she is doing great; all because someone made the decision to be someone else’s miracle. If you’re interested in reading more about her journey, you can check out her blog, and if you’re interested in becoming an organ donor, you can read more about the process and register here.

-Frankie