Blood and deceased-donor organ donation improves and saves the lives of thousands, if not millions, across the world each year, but there’s still many misconceptions about the process. Lack of education, fear and cultural factors greatly impede the amount of people signing up as organ donors or attending blood drives, and this shortage has a huge and long lasting effect on the health of those who need it, despite mounting efforts to encourage Americans to sign up for donation. As a (current or future) medical professional, you are likely know more than most about the process of donating blood, or how organs are donated and transplanted upon a patient’s death—as well as how imperative donations of all types are to global health. However, for the a cross-section of general public, the concept isn’t as simple. Some of the most common concerns for potential donors include eligibility issues; including whether race, sexuality/sexual identity or age affects eligibility, to whether their religion will allow blood or organ donation in any form. Fortunately, Work the World have created a new infographic to mark National Donor Day (February 14th) that covers some of the most common myths and facts that potential donors need to know. For example, not many people know that you can become a donor even in your old age, as tissue and corneas are able to be donated by deceased patients. And, despite widespread misconception, every major religion supports blood and organ donation in some form. In the United States, more than 120,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ donation, and many more are in need of blood to simply keep them alive (with someone needing blood every two seconds in the US alone). National Donor Day focuses on five different types of donations, organs, tissue, marrow, platelets and blood. Visit organdonor.gov for more information on organ donation and American Red Cross for more information on blood donation. Source
