This National Donate Life Month, help give the greatest gift of all, Kansas City | Opinion

At Gift of Life KC, we know the life-changing impact of organ donation. A local mother’s decision to say yes to donation on behalf of her daughter, Blair, helped give new life to at least six people, ranging in age from 6 to 60. A school bus driver’s transplant gave her the gift of going back to the work she loves and seeing her own children graduate high school.

These are just two of the powerful stories that fuel our mission.

April is National Donate Life Month to raise awareness about organ donation and celebrate lives saved through this generous act. Every eight minutes, someone in the U.S. is added to the transplant waiting list. Today, more than 103,000 men, women and children are waiting — enough to fill both Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums. Tragically, because of the persistent shortage of donors, an average of 17 people die every day waiting for a transplant.

With such an urgent need, why doesn’t everyone sign up to be a donor?

Through our programs — Life Savers, which educates thousands of high school students, and Transplant Mentors, which pairs transplant patients with those who’ve received a transplant — we’ve encountered persistent myths about organ donation. Let’s debunk them.

Setting the record straight

Myth: Doctors will not try to save my life if I am an organ donor.

Fact: Organ donation is considered only after every lifesaving effort has been exhausted.

Myth: Donors or their families are paid for organ donation.

Fact: Buying and selling organs and tissue is illegal in the United States.

Myth: My family will be charged for medical expenses if I donate my organs.

Fact: There is no cost to a family to donate a loved one’s organs or tissue.

Myth: If a person is an organ donor, they can’t have an open casket.

Fact: The donor’s body is treated with care and respect, and an open casket is possible after donation.

Myth: I can only register as a donor when renewing my driver’s license or ID.

Fact: You can register anytime — it takes just 30 seconds. at organdonor.gov/sign-up

Myth: I’m too old to be an organ donor.

Fact: Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age, race, or medical history.

Myth: My religion prohibits organ donation.

Fact: Most major religions support donation as a final act of generosity.

Every day, families struggle as they wait for a lifesaving organ transplant. You have the power to change that. One donor hero can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of 75 or more through tissue donation.

Join us in celebrating Donate Life Month by saying yes to organ donation.

Visit organdonor.gov/sign-up to register today.