From Heather Lisser

Monroe

To the Editor:

Did you know you could save a life today?

More than 100,000 people — women, men and children — are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant today in the United States. Unfortunately, each day 17 of them die while praying for the call.

If you have signed your driver’s license to be an organ donor, thank you.

But only about three out of 1,000 people die in a way that allows their organs to be donated.

That’s why I’m asking you to consider donating your kidney or part of your liver now.

Here are some quick facts:

●  If you donate a kidney, your other kidney will actually increase in effectiveness, nearly matching the performance of two kidneys. And if you donate part of your liver, the part that remains will actually grow back to its previous size.

●  You do not need to know someone to donate. If you are tested and approved to donate, the transplant center will match you with someone.

●  It costs you nearly nothing — the transplant recipient’s insurance covers testing and the procedure. You would only pay for your travel expenses.

●  You must be older than 18 to donate, and there’s no firm age cutoff. Donors are considered on a case-by-case basis, and there have been some older than even 70 years old who have donated.

I have been blessed to have received a transplant, but I know of so many others who are still waiting.

If you are interested in learning more about donating or even signing up for a screening, please visit uwhealth.org/CanIBeADonor.