Letter to the editor: Organ donation needs more awareness

Thank you for your recent editorial concerning the need for registration of organ donors (“Donation is a gift of Life.” ) This is such an important topic, one that is rarely covered by most of the local media. The news outlets are obsessed with politics, sports and celebrities and not with the issues that affect our daily lives.

I continue to be surprised that relatively few people register as organ donors, considering the urgent need for transplants. I first registered several decades ago and remain registered today. The process is very easy and certainly is worth the effort to save another’s life.

I have experienced kidney failure and have been on dialysis for about five years. The procedure takes four hours, three times every week. I am currently on the wait list for a transplant at UPMC, and I need to be prepared all the time for “the call.”

I am also hopeful that someone might consider a live donation, giving up one kidney. This can be done directly if there is a

match or by paired exchange if there is no match.

Roy C. Myers

Hempfield