Become an Organ Donor Organ donation is a sacrifice that can touch many people through one person's selfless gift. Of course, that gift most often comes after the tragic loss of a loved one. As a carrier of three functioning kidneys, I have always considered organ donation to be the expected norm. But today the focus will be to enlighten you on the reasons to consider organ donation. Organ donations are needed for every age group, race and ethnic group. Every person should embrace the opportunity to extend the gift of life to another individual through organ donation. There are many reasons to become an organ donor, but we will focus specifically on the five reasons why people should donate their organs listed here. The person who needs an organ could be a family member or close friend. Organ donation can prolong a person's life and/or their quality of life. The technology allows people to offer multiple organs while they are still alive. The decision to donate your organs can be easily communicated and eliminate confusion during a crisis. We'll also look at some reasons why some people fear donating their organs. When considering donating your organs, you should consider that the person who needs an organ could be your family member or close friend. At age 12 and during a routine sports physical, Klarissa Ramirez was discovered to have one damaged kidney and the other was failing. Her mother intervened and offered her kidney. Klarissa continued her education and became a surgical technologist (Give the Gift of Life, 2014). There are currently more than 120,000 people waiting for transplants, of which approximately 100,000 need kidneys and over 16,000 need livers (Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, ... half of the document ... People aged over 50 years) (2014). Retrieved from: http://organdonor.gov/minority50plus/index.htmlOrgan Procurement and Transplantation Network (2013, December 13). : http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/Patrick Pruitt (2014) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: http://organdonor.gov/lifestories/lifepruitt.html The need is real: Data. (2014). Retrieved from: http://organdonor.gov/about/data.htmlUnited Network for Organ Sharing (2014). every patient needs to know (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.unos.org/docs/WEPNTK.pdf Why donate? Retrieved from: http://organdonor.gov/whydonate/index.html