Thursday, November 29, 2001

Forum focuses on the importance of organ donation
By Jill Sutton
Staff Reporter

There are 66,067 patients waiting for transplants across the nation and one organ and tissue donor can provide up to seven life saving organs, according to statistics from LifeGift, an organ donation organization.

A forum focusing on the importance of organ donation was held Wednesday in The Main to inform students of the importance of becoming an organ donor, said forum organizer Scott Calvert, a junior neuroscience major.

According to the LifeGift Web site, most organ donors are victims of accidents that cause fatal head and spinal injuries — car wrecks in which drivers or passengers aren’t wearing seat belts.

LifeGift, one of 62 Organ Procurement Organizations in the United States, is a non-profit organization responsible for the identification and care of organ donors, organ retrieval, organ preservation, transportation and data follow-up regarding organ donors.

Calvert said he organized this project, with the help of the Honors Program, Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-medical and pre-dental society, and LifeGift, in order to present the issue of organ donation to college students and inform them of ways they can help. He said this project was for an assignment in his Nature of Values class.

“I want to increase the awareness of students about the problems that arise because of the lack of donors,” Calvert said.

Dolly Gentry, a representative from LifeGift, spoke to students at the forum on the importance of having organ donors available before the need arises. She said students can give just as much as anyone to this cause, no matter what their age is or how much money they have.

“Usually students are very open to becoming donors,” Gentry said. “Sometimes they feel they are not qualified, but I just tell them that organ donors come in all shapes and sizes. Age is not an issue with this type of gift.”

Calvert said students can still participate by signing a donor card, which are available at a booth that will be The Main until Friday.

Gentry said she hoped what she said would make students more aware of the need for organ donors and encourage them to sign a donor card.

“It is a need that has to be addressed,” said Calvert. “Students need to get information and help attack this problem.”

Jill Sutton
j.m.sutton@student.tcu.edu