How Organ Donors Save Lives - by Virginia J. Davis

The following article was written by Virginia Davis, a longtime OTS member and past OTS newsletter editor.  This was printed in the Chicago Tribune as a letter to the editor on August 8, 2020.

How organ donors save lives
Thirty-five years ago on Aug. 5, a 17-year-old boy lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Thirty-five years ago, a grieving family put aside its unspeakable anguish to sign a paper granting permission to remove his organs for donation. One can only speculate how many lives were ultimately saved. I can only say with certainty that mine was one of them.
On Aug. 5, my kidney and I celebrated our 35th birthday together. My unknown donor would have turned 52 this year. Who knows what potential was lost along with that young life that fateful August day? The “what ifs” about his life make this a bittersweet anniversary for me.
But then I wonder: What if I never received this miracle? With a supportive husband and this special gift, I now have two grown children and am happily retired, a milestone I dared not predict 35 years ago. Every accomplishment, tiny or grand, over the last 35 years has served as a testimonial to the purposefulness of organ donation.
To learn more about donating organs, the United Network for Organ Sharing website (www.unos.org) is among the most comprehensive clearinghouse resources, providing state-by-state updates on waiting lists, survival rates and probabilities of receiving a transplant. UNOS estimates that more than 100,000 Americans — over 3,359 Illinoisans alone — await a kidney transplant.
Another great resource for patients seeking help is Organ Transplant Support based in Naperville (www.organtransplantsupport.org/). Started by patients like me, this group truly embodies its motto, “No one should go through this alone.”
Signing the back of your driver’s license is no longer adequate to ensure that your wishes to donate will be honored. All Illinois organ donors must reregister in the online registry at www.DonateLifeIllinois.org. The entire process takes 30 seconds.
The gift of life is the ultimate legacy one can pass on. Thank you from the bottom of my ... kidney.
— Virginia J. Davis, Orland Park