My driver’s license says, “Organ Donor.” It’s been there for
as long as I can remember. As the years have passed, I’ve assumed that little
note has meant less and less. I’ve been using my liver, my kidneys, my heart
and lungs for well over fifty years. I figured, if it was time for me to cash
in my chips, about all that would be considered useful would be my corneas. I
was wrong. As it turns out, last year about a third of the organs transplanted
were from donors over the age of fifty. The oldest organ donor in the U.S. (so
far) was 92 years old. He was a liver donor who saved the life of a 68-year-old
woman. Never rule yourself out. Doctors will decide at the time of your death
whether you can donate, because when it comes right down to it, it’s not the
years. It’s the mileage.
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