Freeman Organ Donation
By: Gretchen Bolander
Updated: June 3, 2010
Tens of thousands of patients wait for an organ donation every year, a liver or kidney that may never come.
"There are 4,000 in Missouri waiting for a transplant. Many won't survive, especially if they need a heart or lungs, pancreas."
Freeman nurse Linda Dean encourages potential donors to sign up and let their loved ones know they want to be a donor.
Missouri is considered a first person state.
"That means I have to register to be an organ donor. It's legally binding and takes away from the family the pressure to make this decision during a tragic time," says Dean.
Dean adds that the need for organs always outstrips the donations that are available. Each decision saves lives and can even help the family of the donor with their own burden.
"It helps the family heal, gives them closure. That something good has come out of the tragedy," Dean says.
