VHJ Spring 2008
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Giving the gift of life
Every 13 minutes in the United States, another person joins the transplant waiting list. But the availability of organs falls far short of the demand:
- In the U.S., 100,000 people currently wait for a lifesaving organ transplant, including 2,500 in the upper Midwest.
- Each day, 17 people die while waiting for a transplant simply because there are not enough organs available.
Closer to home, at MeritCare
- At any one time, as many as 70 patients wait for a transplant.
- The average wait time is 17 months. (In larger cities, the typical wait time is two to three years.)
- The majority of organs transplanted come from within the Dakotas and Minnesota.
You can help
Learn how you can save and improve lives by becoming a designated organ and tissue donor – visit meritcare.com (keyword: gift of life). Also make sure to inform your family of your decision so they can honor your wishes.
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