Increasing Organ Donation Awareness

My wife had a kidney transplant when she was only 17 years old. Yes indeed, this could happen to anybody at any age. Thanks to her successful transplant, she has been able to carry on with her life normally. There are close to 100,000 patients in the U.S. currently waiting for organ transplants and chronic renal disease accounts for the majority of those on the waiting list. A person could receive an organ either from a living donor or a cadaver. Living donors in many cases are usually relatives or close friends. While cadaveric donors come from people who have shown interest in donating their organs while they were alive.

A recent Gallup survey indicated that the majority of Americans are now open to organ transplants. Yet only 20 percent of the annual 20,000 to 25,000 brain deaths in this country result in organ donation. This happens because some of the people that would like to donate their organs do not share their wishes with their families and friends or sign a donor card. Also, many fear that organ donation is against their religion when in fact most religions support this. Therefore, increasing awareness about organ donation in general is imperative.

One of the things my wife and I like to do to increase awareness is participating in kidney walks and other activities. On Sunday, October 19th, we went to New York City for the kidney walk sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation. The walk started at about 10:30 a.m. from South Street Seaport and went around the historic Battery Park. It was a beautiful day and there were many people with their families and friends. We had a blast and were able to spot Alonzo Mourning, the professional basketball player from the NBA's Miami Heat. Alonzo was most recently known for undergoing a kidney transplant and a year later winning his first NBA Championship. He was there signing his new book "Resilience: Faith Focus, Triumph" with Dan Wetzel.

Mario Remedios is a network marketer who truly enjoys meeting people and helping others succeed. He enjoys writing business, health, and personal articles to let others learn more about him. Please get to know Mario, he's a great guy. You won't regret it!

Learn more at: http://marioremedios.com

Hope In Religion