Organ Donation

Organ Donation Speech by: Jason Caldwell Good morning, my presentation is going to be on the positive aspects of organ donation. First, I will explain the background and history of organ donation. Second, I will explain the importance of being an organ donor, and finally I will talk about the scientific importance of organ donation in our future. Back in the 1950’s, the very idea that an organ could be transplanted from one human being to another must have seemed like science fiction. It became a reality, however, when the first successful kidney transplant was performed on December 23, 1954, in Boston Massachusetts. In the years since, over 400,000 people in the U.S. have received new organs, including kidneys, hearts, lungs, livers, cornea, and more. Prior to 1954, doctors were frustrated in their early attempts at organ transplantation. The biggest obstacle was rejection of the new organ. The human immune system, which fights off germs and other foreign substances in the body, would also perceive the new organ as a foreign “intruder”, and would attack it. Transplant patients would survive only a few days orweeks before their new organs failed. Over the last fifty-five years, surgeons have learned how to transplant all of the major body organs, and even some non-vital parts, such as a hand. These advances in surgery along with the development of anti-rejection drugs have extended the lives of many people. Organ transplants are now performed routinely in many countries, a fact which early transplant surgeons and the general public would probably never have imagined. More than 100,000 men, women, and children currently need life savingorgan transplants. An average of 18people die each day from the lack of available organs. 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% have taken the essential steps to be an organ donor (www.donatelife.net/facts_stats.html). These statistics show that people who are waiting for organ transplants have a good chance