This past week, in recognition of World Organ Donation Day, my friends at Write Tribe held a blog carnival where bloggers were encouraged to write and share their own posts related to organ donation.
Each time I read and commented on a post, I mentioned in my response that yes, I am registered as an organ donor… but after doing so a couple of times, a nagging thought started to poke away at my brain.
Are you SURE?
Well, of course I’m sure! I remember filling in that form years and years ago, back when I lived in Victoria, BC and was renewing my driver’s license or some such thing.
But you live in Ontario now.
Oh. Right.
A little embarrassed with my assumption, but curious as to whether or not I might actually be correct, I searched for “organ donation Ontario” and easily found this site which was headed, “How to register your consent to donate your organs and tissue. Your choice could, one day, save up to 8 lives.” A couple of clicks later, along with the provision of some basic information such as my health card number and date of birth, I discovered that no, I was NOT actually registered as an organ donor in the Province of Ontario, but did I want to do so? Yes, yes I do! A couple more clicks to confirm my consent and it was done, with a PDF confirmation available immediately and a formal letter being sent via snail mail for my records.
I’m glad I checked!
So this post isn’t being written to provide you with facts about organ donation (there are lots of other posts out there that have already covered that topic), or to tell you why I think it’s important, if you’re able, to register as an organ donor (though I happen to think it’s VERY important), or to give personal examples from the lives of people close to me (as I haven’t contacted them for permission to tell their stories).
No, my post is taking a slightly different approach to the topic of organ donation: to simply encourage those of you who believe you’ve already registered as an organ donor to please take a couple of minutes to MAKE SURE! Even if you’re absolutely positive you’ve taken care of this detail, please check anyway! Chances are you’ll find that yes, your memory serves you correctly and yes, everything is in place… but on the other hand, you might just discover that, like me, your initial assumption was incorrect. Either way, confirming your registration will take very little time away from your day… and I’ll bet that, like me, you’ll be glad you checked!
So, are you registered as an organ donor? Are you SURE?
Please share!