Persuasive Organ Donation Essay

At sixteen years old, my mother lay comatose in a hospital, held to life by a ventilator. That night in 1971, her car collided with another vehicle, instantly rendering her unconscious. The doctors determined she would never leave her comatose state, and suggested ending life support immediately to remove her organs. Luckily, the family did not believe this was the proper time to discuss such things, as she came out of her coma three days later. Had they given up, my mother would have been removed from life support, and she and I would not be here today. At this moment, 119,862 people in the U.S. are in need of a lifesaving organ transplant (U.S. Department of Human and Health Services). Each day, 22 of those in need die waiting for their transplant. Over the past decade, the number of patients waiting for an organ at the end of the year has increased by 24%. For every name in the organ donation registry, there are five people in need of an organ to survive. Luckily, organ donation has received a push in recent years from public health officials, but this cannot solve the problem entirely. Health problems, such as lupus and cancer, can prevent willing people from donating. Of the 2.2 million Americans that die each year, only 2% are …show more content…
I began volunteering with the American Cancer Society and shadowing doctors of various specialties. To develop lab experience, I analyzed data for the ODU avian ecology graduate program, verifying and compiling information for bird and tick interaction studies. I then worked in the EVMS pathology lab studying ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) under Dr. Earl Godfrey. Here, we grew and differentiated stem cells, maintained laboratory specimens, and treated cells to examine changes in intracellular degradation. From these experiences, I became proficient in executing laboratory techniques and maintaining cultures, taking care to execute experiments with extreme precision and