Register as an Oregon donor

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are currently over 100,600 people in need of organ donations in the United States. Of those in need, 17 awaiting organ donation die every day.

These people are why you should register as an organ donor today. If you register as an organ donor, you can save up to eight lives after you pass away. Additionally, your tissue can enhance the lives and health of over 125 people.

While it is impossible to save everyone, these are people you can directly aid. A donor who invests five minutes of their life to register as an organ donate could gift decades of life itself, and improved health, to scores of people.

According to Donate Life America, 95% of adults in the United States support the idea of being an organ donor, yet only 54% are actually registered organ donors. Why is this? Well, there are various factors, but some of the biggest reasons are that people do not believe they qualify to become an organ donor, believe their religion would prevent them from registering, or think it is a difficult process to register.

However, it is likely that none of these are true.

First, many people do not understand that there is no requirement to be young or super healthy to become an organ donor. There is no age limit to becoming an organ donor. In fact, the oldest person to donate organs in the U.S. was 95 years old. Second, most medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, and HIV, will not automatically disqualify someone from donating organs.

And, while people often mistakenly believe their religion is opposed to organ donation, all major world religions are either indifferent to or openly support organ donation. Of course, as a potential donor, you are encouraged to research if yours has any rules regarding organ donation.

Lastly, becoming an organ donor in Oregon is a very easy and straightforward process. There are three ways to become an organ donor.

The first and most common way is to register by checking a box when applying for a driver’s permit, license, or state I.D. at the DMV office.

If you will not be at the DMV any time soon, you can also register through Donate Life Northwest. You can register either online or by printing and mailing a paper form. 

Finally, if you have an iPhone, you can register through the pre-installed Health App (iOS 10+).

To learn more about the latter two options, see the QR codes on the right (hyperlinks below):
– Donate Life Northwest: https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/register-now   
– With an iPhone, register through the pre-installed Health App (iOS 10+):
https://support/apple.com/guide/iphone/register-as-an-organ-donor-iphd5a30e6e3/ios  

Avery Diep