Having Idahoans on organ donation registry saves lives

Finally, a New Year’s resolution that worked.

In past years, the people of Idaho were challenged to make a New Year’s resolution to help save lives and sign up on the Idaho Donor Registry. Well, people listened. They made their resolutions, and phenomenal things happened.

In 2015, the Idaho Donor Registry reached a new level of more than 750,000 people, meaning about 64 percent of licensed drivers in Idaho are signed up. Compared to the rest of the nation, Idaho has one of the highest rates of participation on a donor registry. This says a lot about the giving, caring nature of the citizens of Idaho.

Because of these high participation rates, good things happen. For example, more lives were saved than ever before. More than 350 people received lifesaving transplants in 2014 because people said “yes” to organ donation. Again, people caring about people and doing something about it. For 2015, even more lives were saved.

The Good Samaritan Living Kidney Donor Program continues to grow and save lives. From its beginning in 2002, there have been more than 80 Good Samaritan Donors. These are people who don’t even know their recipients. They stepped forward to donate a kidney because they felt the need to help someone.

Thanks to the people of Idaho, who care so much about their fellow citizens, we are ending the suffering of many waiting for transplants. If you haven’t joined the Idaho Donor Registry, I challenge you to make one of your New Year’s resolutions to help others. Sign up by saying “yes” on your driver’s license, go to www.yesidaho.org or call 1-866-937-4324. Even easier, if you have a smartphone, go to yesidaho.org and sign up. Get the facts and help save lives.

Keep up the good work, Idaho. The rest of the nation looks to our giving state as a beacon of hope for what they want to accomplish.

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Having Idahoans on organ donation registry saves lives."