This weekend is National Donor Sabbath, when places of worship help spread the word about organ and tissue donation.
Connie Boatman with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office says that there can be a lot of confusion when it comes to organ donation, and faith.
“Many times people believe that their religion doesn’t support organ donation. We want to dispel this myth, since the majority of major religions honor and respect this act of generosity.”
Secretary of State Jesse White says that some worry that their care in the hospital will suffer if they indicate they want to be an organ donor, or that they think they will not be able to have an open casket at their funeral. White says that these are also myths, and simply not true.
David Poteet, who is Pastor of the Northwest Community Church in Chicago, donated a kidney to a parishioner last year, and continues to encourage people to sign up to be an organ donor.
“The most profound things in my
life, getting married, having children, giving her my kidney is right
there with it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. So I plead
with you, anybody, consider being a living donor, and especially
consider signing on your license with lifegoeson.com to be a donor.”
The Secretary of State’s Office reports that although the state’s organ donor registry tops 6.8 million people, still about 300 people I die each year waiting for an organ in Illinois.
To become a registered organ donor, you can visit the Secretary of State organ and tissue donor page at https://www.lifegoeson.com/
Information is also available from the Secretary of State’s home page at https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/