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LAS CRUCES – Welcome to National Donate Life Month. Are you an organ donor? If so, you’ve helped put New Mexico in the Top 10 nationally, percentage wise, of states.
Here in the Land of Enchantment about 970,000 people are organ donors out of a population of nearly 2.1 million people. You do the math.
“That is a great number,” said Maria Sanders with Donate Life New Mexico.
“People can join the registry at age of 15 when they get their provisional license,” she said.
Of course, you do not need a driver’s license to become a donor. You can fill out a form online at nmdonor.com or call and ask for a paper form.
“Twenty years ago there was a lot more hesitation to be a donor,” Sanders said.
“I was hesitant myself at first. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I felt very tentative taking that first step. A superstitious side of me felt like, to become an organ donor was jinxing myself and made it more likely I’d actually suffer some sort of accident. Of course I knew that was ridiculous, but still the feeling persisted.
“That was many years ago and I went forward against those feelings and have been an organ donor ever since.”
Kimmie Caraveo said she is an organ donor.
“(It’s) simply because I won’t need them anymore when I’m gone,” she said on the Sun-News’ Facebook page.
“My wonderful nephew is an organ recipient,” Terrie Ginn-Perrone said. “Now after having his organ for 25 years he is in process of getting a new one. I thank God every day for him. I am an organ donor and so are my children.”
Jay Hughey reports that he is an organ donor because he has seen the benefits in his family.
“My cousin donated a kidney to his stepdad,” Hughey said. “None of the blood family matched, yet my cousin did. It was wonderful. Both are doing well and thriving after 10 years.”
Sanders said that the state law was changed in 2002 to make sure the donor’s wishes are upheld. She said making the decision ahead of time is important.
“It actually helps families tremendously,” Sanders said. “We’re talking to families at a very unexpected time of loss and sometimes what the loved one would have wanted had not been discussed ahead of time.”
For more information you can call Donate Life at 505-843-7672.
