It seems so appropriate that the month of April, when plants sprout with new life, we get the opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness of organ donation. Becoming an organ donor is simple and it’s a wonderful way to share life and spread hope.

My driver’s license mentions that I’m an organ donor, but those red words only mean so much without the surrounding information. I think many don’t consider organ donation as an option because death always seems far away. 

But I’m not asking you to think about death, I’m begging you to think about life.

Did you know that one organ donor can save up to 8 lives? And that’s not including the 50 additional ways you can improve lives through tissue and eye donation. I think of my mom, who donated what organs she could to help others live, to help others see. Even after she died she was able to keep on giving. It’s such a blessing to think that, in the midst of our own grief, someone else was breathing a big sigh of relief as their desperate waiting ceased. 

Someone else was given an extension on their earthly life because, as a family, we agreed to donate my mom’s organs. That means that someone else was able to spend more time with their mom, their brother, their friend. Someone else was able to continue building relationships. Someone else was able to gain new sight to one day see their children, grandchildren, and the beauties of life that is yet to come. Someone else was able to live their life fuller than they would have otherwise.

Please, donate life. Marking ‘DONOR’ on your driver’s license doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a donor, but it’s a first step. Were something to happen, your family would still have a voice in whether or not to donate your organs, so be sure to tell your family that you want to be an organ donor. Even then, doctors will evaluate what organs are viable for donation. Sometimes, like in my dad’s case, organ donation won’t be possible — but that isn’t a reason not to ask questions and put the possibility out there. 

Don’t let the possibility of not being able to donate organs keep you from digging in and getting real answers. Don’t let fears and uncertainty keep you from helping others. Instead, let’s talk. Let’s question. Let’s seek answers. Let’s make change.

Let’s come together to raise awareness of the power behind one red word: DONOR.

Originally posted on Facebook on April 15, 2015.