The good that you can do need not be buried with your bones. When you sign up to become an organ donor, you grant life to others and, in a way, gain a sense of longer life through another transplant patient.

According to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, families are frequently willing to donate organs from brain-dead patients, yet that’s still not enough to meet the demand for transplants. Further, there are about 82,000 people on a national waiting list for transplants, and you know that number will continue to grow no matter how many people sign up to become organ donors. In short, the demand is greater than the supply.

According to the woman who led the study, &uot;every opportunity needs to be maximized.&uot; How true. We can only suggest that everyone locally who has not yet signed up become an organ donor immediately.

Also, we support the idea of research for alternative sources of organs, including animals, as well as anti-rejection drugs.

More importantly, it’s the responsibility of individuals to improve their own health and seek out treatments that can keep them off the waiting list.