Organ Donation & Awareness
By: Julie Coleman (Justin's Mom)

Leaving a Legacy
No one likes to talk about dying so that makes talking about organ donation a hard subject for most people to bring up, but it is a subject I would like each of you to get comfortable with. It's like making out a will; you will not die just because you have a will and you will not die just because you want to be an organ donor. However, when your time does come, being an organ donor will be part of that legacy you leave behind.

Justin has left a wonderful legacy. People who knew Justin and people who did not know him are still learning and changing because of who he was, what he wrote and the actions he took. There are many people right now who are alive and well because of his gifts of life. Justin did not die to be an organ donor but when he died he didn't need his organs and tissues anymore. So, think of what you would like your legacy to be, and if it is to donate life, be proactive about it.   Each of us has the "Power of One," meaning each human being has the potential to save or improve the lives of 58 others through the donation of eight organs and fifty types of tissue, ligaments, corneas and bones.

What To Do
Even if you live to your 90's you can leave a legacy of organ and tissue donation. Take action now by being sure your drivers license has a heart of it, making sure you have an organ donor card signed by two adults on you at all times and informing your family of your choice. Many people think a a heart on their drivers license is enough but it is not. In North Carolina (where Bill and I live) a heart on your license is a legal first-person consent for only organ and eye donations, not for tissue donations.   Telling your family and friends gives you the insurance that your wishes are carried out even if your license and donor card are not with you at the time of your time of death.

The Truth
Over 95,000 Americans of all ages are on an organ transplant waiting list. Each person on this list will die unless he/she receives a heart, kidney, pancreas, liver, or lung, etc., in time. Many more than 95,000 people are on another waiting list, they are waiting for a cornea, ligaments, skin, and/or bone parts. Every 12 min. a new name is added to the waiting list for an organ transplant.   Every day 17 people die while waiting for a transplant.

What Does God Say?
Only two religious groups oppose organ donation, they are the Gypsies and the Shintos.  All other religions have changed their views and their laws. In fact, at one time the laws of Judaism opposed organ donation but now that it has become such a highly successful way to save a life, organ donation is an obligatory act. Even Orthodox leaders who are more traditional on determining the time of death (they prefer a point later than brain death which results in some organs being rendered unusable) currently promote the donation of kidneys, corneas, skin, ligaments and bone. Accordingly, not to bequeath your organs has become a transgression of the Mitzvah of Pikuah Nefesh "Saving a Life", a primary Jewish value.  

The Catholic religion has also changed their views and laws. In fact, Pope Benedict carries his organ donor card with him wherever he goes!

I have been lecturing at local high schools, encouraging young people with newly obtained drivers licenses to become organ donors. Later on, here on Justin's site I will share the questions I have heard these students ask and the answers that helped them make their own decicions based on the facts, not the myths, of donating life.