05/03/2008 En Español
Assemblymember Sharon Runner Discusses Importance of Organ and Tissue Donation
Hi, this is Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, filling in for
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.
This week, I was proud to join the Governor in announcing
that California's
Organ and Tissue Donor Registry has surpassed the 3 million mark.
As part of this celebration, the Governor proclaimed April
as "DMV/Donate Life Month."
This is a great time to highlight the tremendous benefits of
organ donation.
Each of us has the power to save up to eight lives as an
organ donor, and heal up to 50 others as a tissue donor, by restoring sight,
improving mobility or healing burns.
For me, this issue is very personal. I signed up as a donor decades ago, but never
imagined I would one day find myself in need of a transplant. Because of a rare
disease,
called Limited Scleroderma, right now I am on
the waiting list for a new pair of lungs.
But I am not alone.
100,000 individuals across the nation, including 20,000 here in California, are waiting for an organ or tissue donation.
One-third will die before a match is found.
And the decision to donate is
about more than just saving lives. When an individual has not declared his or
her wishes one way or the other, this burden falls on family members, who are
forced to make difficult and heart-wrenching choices in the middle of their
loss.
With a new law the Governor
signed in 2005, registering as a donor is easier than ever.
Just check ‘yes' on your driver's
license or I.D. renewal form.
Or, to sign up right away, you
can visit www.donatelifecalifornia.org.
And remember, anyone can register,
regardless of your age or medical history.
Along with the Governor, I
encourage all Californians to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity
to give the gift of life, and to ensure your decision to do so is honored.
On behalf of the Governor, this is Assemblywoman Sharon
Runner. Thank you for listening.
