Do you remember years ago walking into the DMV to take your final drive in hopes of getting your license? There were many papers to fill out and numerous forms of identification; it was a mess at 16, 17 and maybe even 18 years old. Now when you are required to go in and renew them, it seems like a breeze, right? Well maybe that isn’t the case when you stop at the question that asks, “Do you wish to register to be an organ, tissue and eye donor?” It seems as though it would be easy enough. Well, by marking a big “X” into the no box, every day, you, like others, are letting approximately 22 people end up on the waiting list to die without a transplant.

This suddenly doesn’t seem so easy. The question seems to be buried in with all of the others asking you to identify yourself, but this question gets me every single time. For many years, I was opposed. It was a strange idea to think that someone could walk around with my body parts, but then something changed.

I went in to get my license and I was so wrapped up in how to answer the questions that I forgot to fill them in. I was of course sent back to my seat to wait in the ungodly long line, where I continued to think. The gentleman next to me saw my hesitation and said, “My wife is waiting for a heart, you know. By marking the yes box, you could save someone’s greatest love, when you no longer can love.” I stopped in my tracks, and it seemed easy then to mark yes.

There are many different spectrums to transplants. There are situations that happen when both people are alive, the recipient may need an organ in the near future, and any donor may agree. There are also organ donations and transplants that occur after death, which is what many agree to on their driver’s license. The bottom line is, we can’t begin to understand the extent of need, or even the magnitude of gratefulness that families feel after being chosen.

Organdonor.gov states it best: “The reality is that the number of candidates waiting continues to dwarf the number of donor organs available, and only you can change this- by registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor.”

Some may be very against donating. I was too. I encourage you to look into the facts, and even if they don’t convince you, find out what you can do to donate otherwise. The DMV has a great follow up question asking for a $2 donation. These organizations greatly need monetary donations as well to function and to be facilitated properly. The DMV isn’t the only way to become a donor either. There are ways online, transplant centers and at any time anyone can change their donation status. Whatever stance you may take on the situation, I urge you to read the life-changing stories, and sign up to be a donor today. For next time, will you mark yes or no?