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Saving life after death

Organ donor drive educates about organ donation, misconceptions

Since the start of this week's organ donor drive on the UA Mall yesterday, 16 people in the United States died waiting for an organ transplant.

Becky Hays, public affairs associate for the Donor Network of Arizona, said a lack of public attention to organ donation contributes to statistics like this.

"Organ donation receives minimal attention from the public in general," Hays said.

Each year, an estimated 500,000 people in the United States receive organ and tissue transplants. Still, approximately 66,000 Americans currently wait for a life-saving organ.

This week, the Donor Network of Arizona hopes to increase the number of available organs by raising awareness about organ donation.

Hays said a lack of information prevented her from deciding whether she wanted to be an organ donor.

"I did not have enough information when I was getting my driver's license for the first time to make an educated decision about being an organ donor," Hays said. "I resolved that problem by asking questions, but we're trying to make sure people are educated from the beginning."

University of Arizona political science freshman Robyn Greenstein, a member of the campus service organization Alpha Phi Omega, said the group is sponsoring the event because the lack of available organs is becoming a "widespread problem."

Greenstein added that in addition to a lack of public attention to organ donation, people are uncomfortable thinking about death.

"I think the issue of death scares them - it's a touchy subject," she said. "A lot of people say, 'I'm not dead yet so I don't want to think about it.'"

Hays said the Donor Network is conducting the organ donor drive in an effort to dispel popular misconceptions about organ donation. Many people fear doctors will not properly care for patients who are organ donors.

"People are concerned about their medical care in hospitals - that their health won't be considered first," she said. "But the last thing doctors look for is an organ donor card. Their first priority is to save your life."

Greenstein said that ultimately, the patient's family decides whether or not an organ donation will take place.

"If it doesn't have the family's approval, it won't go through," she said.

Greenstein also said that many people voice religious oppositions to organ donation, but according to the Donor Network of Arizona, all major religions regard organ donation as "a matter of personal conscience."

She added that events such as the organ donor drive at least make people consider their options.

"A lot of people don't think about organ donation and it doesn't occur to them to do so until they find themselves in the hospital in an emergency," she said.