Why I Had 10 Extra Fathers Day Celebrations With My Dad

Sometimes, the generosity of someone can help others in untold ways. I was one of those people who was helped in a big way. If you didn't know it, April is National Donate Life Month. It celebrates the many lives affected by transplant and donation across the United States.

Years ago, my dad's kidney's started to fail, but through the generosity of an organ donor, my dad was able to live an extra 10 years. That meant that I got 10 extra Fathers Day's to spend with him. I had an extra 10 Christmas's to be with him. That was all because a gentleman in northern Iowa who was an organ donor, was killed in a car accident. My dad got his kidneys and others benefited from his other organs.

Currently, over 270 people die every day in the United States waiting for an organ transplant, those that live wait 7 to 12 years to receive a kidney transplant through the government’s deceased organ donor waiting list; 22 people die everyday waiting on that list. Many patients receive their kidney transplant within only six months of registering on MatchingDonors.com.

MatchingDonors is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the nation’s largest living organ donor organization finding and registering living organ donors for people needing organ transplants in the United States.

MatchingDonors.com will directly impact people in need of organ transplants; and your efforts will save lives. Please take the time to be an organ donor. It WILL save lives. - Alan