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Today, there are over nationwide on the organ transplant waiting list hoping for a life-extending donation. Unfortunately, 8,000 people on this list die each year waiting for an organ. Despite 40,000 lifesaving transplants last year, there is still a significant shortage of donors. To help bridge this gap in supply and demand, Donate Life America has designated April as National Donate Life Month.

The month is devoted to raising awareness about organ donation and encouraging people to register.

Kenneth Andreoni, M.D., chief of the UF College of Medicine鈥檚 division of transplantation surgery, has witnessed an increase in the age and comorbidities of donors, as well as the complexity of comorbidities of the recipient patients the program treats.

Misconception plays a major role in people鈥檚 choice to register for organ donation, and National Donate Life Month helps to clear up these myths. Right now, despite 95% of adults in the United States supporting organ donation, There needs to be a drastic shift in perception of organ donation to fix this problem, and that starts with education.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for people not to assume that they can鈥檛 be a donor for a variety of reasons,鈥� Andreoni said. 鈥淢ost people can donate something, whether it鈥檚 an organ or tissue, which can save dozens and dozens of lives down the road.鈥�

Luckily, registering as an organ donor has never been easier. Many states allow people to register upon getting their driver鈥檚 license, making the information easily accessible moving forward. In addition to helping the lives of strangers in need, this decision can also aid loved ones in the event of an accident.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful that with the current laws around the country, and especially in Florida, that you can simply show your willingness to donate on your driver鈥檚 license,鈥� Andreoni said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 an active step made by the person, which is extremely simple and kind to family members because you鈥檙e not burdening them with that decision. It鈥檚 a lot smoother for the family to know that their loved one wanted to donate.鈥�

After this impactful decision is made, it goes a long way. One donor alone can save or drastically improve the lives of eight or more people, and donations don鈥檛 always have to occur postmortem. serves as a viable option, especially in cases of kidney and liver transplantation, and saves the life of both the recipient and the next person on the waiting list.

鈥淎 large number of transplant patients do extremely well, improving the quality and timespan of their life,鈥� Andreoni said. 鈥淚t also drastically increases the productivity of their life, meaning they can be employed again and be involved with their family鈥檚 lives again, which is of value hard to measure.鈥�

National Donate Life Month helps tie all the facts and benefits of organ donation together, and serves as an important stepping stone to solving the issue of donor shortages. Learn more about to be an organ donor and about the .