Kaitlyn Coholan
Managing Editor

TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and E.R. portray dramatic surgical rescues every week. In the real world, organ donors can help save lives without the drama.
According to the Organ Donation & Transplant Association of Canada (ODTAC), 4,240 people were on the list for an organ donation in 2006 and 243, or about five per week died while waiting.
Donating organs can save or improve lives. Why not give something that’s free to you, something you certainly won’t need when you’re dead?
Thinking about being an organ donor is an especially good idea for students who want to feel compassionate and charitable, but don’t have much money to spare.
Some may feel squeamish about the thought of their organs in someone else’s body. Again, when you’re dead, you won’t know the difference. But the recipient certainly will.
Another worry may be that organ donors’ medical attention may be compromised. According to the ODTAC website, doctors will only refer a patient as a potential organ donor once all lifesaving methods and procedures have been exhausted.
While the decision to become a donor isn’t always easy, signing up is. Participants fill out an organ donor card or a registry, and they are always free to change their minds later. Also, family has the final say, so it’s an important topic to discuss.
Logically, telling a family member about an interest in donating organs is one of the simplest things a person can do to help someone.
Many students are young adults and haven’t started or don’t want to think about their own death. But it is something to consider: you have the ability to make a great change in someone’s life, even after yours has ended.
It’s understandable that realizing one’s own mortality is difficult and we are emotionally attached to our bodies.
But rationally, there’s not much point in hanging on to organs you won’t need.