YOU Have the Power to Donate Life

I don't mean to sound preachy, but I wanted to take a moment to write an entry about a topic that I am very passionate about. On a daily basis I work with children who have had an organ transplant or are desperately waiting an organ transplant. Unfortunately, many of those kids will run out of time before an organ is found for them. While I pray that none of you will actually have to ever make this decision for a loved one, this is something that I hope you will think about now. Here are a few facts about organ donation:

Fact: Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.

Fact: All major regions in the United States support organ, eye, and tissue donation and see it as a final act of love and generosity towards others.

Fact: If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ, eye, and tissue donation can only be considered after you are deceased.

Fact: When you are on the waiting list for an organ, what really counts is the severity of your illness, time spent waiting, blood type, and other important medical information, not your financial or celebrity status.

Fact: An open casket funeral is possible for organ, eye, and tissue donors. Through the entire donation process, the body is treated with care, respect, and dignity.

Fact: There is no cost to the donor or their family for organ and tissue donation.

Fact: Signing a donor card or a driver's license with an "organ donor" designation may not satisfy your state's requirements to become a donor. Be certain to take the necessary steps to become a donor and ensure that your family understands your wishes.

Go to www.donatelife.net to find out your state's requirements--it generally takes about 30 seconds to register with your state. And please don't hesitate to email me with any questions! I'd also love to know if anyone decides to register after seeing this post!
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Now on to my personal story for the day. Aaron and I both decided to go donate platelets today....although Aaron ended up not donating because he wasn't feeling very well so we thought it wasn't the best idea. But he came with me anyway. The process of donating platelets takes about 2-2.5 hours with about 60-90 minutes of being hooked up to an apheresis machine that spins out different components of your blood (plasma, platelets, etc...) and then returns the red blood cells back to your body. It was pretty cool because UCLA has these really awesome "e-chairs" in which you can surf the internet, watch DVDs (they have hundreds to choose from) or watch TV.

Not only that, but they give you free movie tickets and meal tickets for the cafeteria.....I can also get paid 4 hours of comp time every 2 months or so (you can donate platelets every week). Here's where it gets interesting. I proceeded to completely overdo it afterwards and ran a bunch of errands on foot--and it was pretty hot out. I then passed out in Westwood Village and was lying on the sidewalk with my purse as a pillow for about 10 minutes.....soooo embarassing!! Luckily Aaron was with me! I declined any further assistance though--I really just needed to lie down for a few minutes. And after 10 minutes I got up, dusted myself off and continued on my way. Yikes!

So Aaron and I are both feeling a little wimpy today. When we got home we made a big palate (sp?) in our living room with our futon mattress and a bunch of down comforters/pillows and pretty much lay around for the rest of the evening. Neither of us has to work tomorrow so we will probably lay around tomorrow too! That's all for now!