Picture this: you are in a hospital room, lying on your deathbed while watching the minutes tick down to your final breath. Down the hall, in room 107-B, there’s a seven-year-old boy with a faulty heart, whose only chance of survival is by finding a donor. Your organs are all perfectly fine, including your heart, yet you choose not to donate them, just like millions of other Americans. Now let me ask you this; do you really want to be responsible for the death of the boy in room 107-B?

Each day, around 20 Americans, all of whom are on the national transplant waiting list (consisting of over 116,000 patients) die while waiting for an organ donor. This list, however, is growing much faster than the list of organ donors, which in turn, means more people in need of a donation. Currently, only 54% of Americans are registered organ donors (UNOS). It may seem like a lot but if you think about it, the other 46% eligible organs are going to waste. That creates millions of perfectly good organs gone to waste.

One organ donor can save up to eight lives as well as improve the lives of 50 others (organdonor). Just think about this for a minute: Is your dead body really worth more than eight lives? I didn’t think so. By donating your organs, you would pass on life and hope to those who really need them. If more people choose to donate their organs, the amount of deaths for people who can’t find donors would decrease drastically.

Look, I understand that you may not want to donate your organs for a number of different reasons, but if you think about it, are your reasons and superstitions more important than the lives of your fellow humans? According to The Atlantic, studies show that many people chose not to donate their organs as they develop mistrust and a misunderstanding of the medical world from television shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy (The Atlantic). The reason the majority of medical television shows are unrealistic is an attempt to further engage their viewers. I mean, do you really think a realistic show about the medical world would be very successful? According to Statista, the most popular genre or television shows is drama so it only makes sense that they would want to appeal to the larger audiences (Statistica).

So, in conclusion, consider donating your organs. By doing so, you can save the life of up to eight people and help another 50 with your bones and tissues. Not donating your perfectly functional organs would be a waste and could cause the end of lives. Before you finish reading this essay, ask yourself is your personal reasons for not donating your organs outweigh the lives of up to eight people. If not, sign up to donate them. It will make a difference.