Why you should consider organ donation

Now that you have the facts, you can see that being an organ donor can make a big difference, and not just to one person. By donating your organs and tissue after you die, you can save or improve as many as 75 lives. Many families say that knowing their loved one helped save or improve other lives helped them cope with their loss.

It's especially important to consider becoming an organ donor if you belong to an ethnic minority. Minorities including African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Hispanics are more likely than whites to have certain chronic conditions that affect the kidneys, heart, lung, pancreas and liver.

Certain blood types are more prevalent in ethnic minority populations. Because matching blood type is usually necessary for transplants, the need for minority donor organs is especially high.