More than 123,000 Americans are currently on the waiting list for an organ transplant, according to the American Transplant Foundation. Approximately 35 percent of those 123,000 people are African American. Although organs are not matched according to race, people who are waiting for a transplant have a higher chance of finding a match with someone of the same ethnicity since they are more likely to have compatible blood types and tissue markers.
Minorities, including African Americans, are more likely than whites to have certain chronic conditions that affect the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver, says the ATF. This makes the need for African-American donors especially high.
When you sign up to become an organ, eye, and/or tissue donor, you could possibly be saving someone’s life! In honor of National Donate Life Month, here are five reasons to register today.
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source: BlackDoctor.org
