Cystic Fibrosis patients make up 12 percent of the waiting list for lungs. New York State changed the legal age of consent for organ donation from 18 to 16 years old to improve number of donors. Read more below: Last week, New York State changed the legal age of consent for organ donation from 18 to 16 years old. This shift is expected to improve New York’s number of donors significantly. “…only 24 percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and up have enrolled in the NYS Donate Life Registry compared to the national average of 51 percent, according to the DMV. Part of this came from its older age of consent, 18 as opposed to 16 in many states.” http://pix11.com/2016/08/18/16-year-olds-can-now-donate-organs-in-new-york/ This news article made me curious about why more people don’t check off the organ donor box on their driver’s licenses. I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles website and found this list of myths about organ donation. Most of these myths were surprising to me, such as the fear that doctors would not work as hard to save your life if you're an organ donor. There are many organizations working to educate the public on organ donation, and hopefully they can overcome these misconceptions. Here is a thorough resource on organ donation. http://www.organdonor.gov/home.html Did you know that CF patients make up 12 percent of the waiting list for lungs? http://www.thepoweroftwomovie.com/organ-donation/ Did you know that although a person with CF can’t donate major organs, he or she can be a donor for eyes. See this inspirational story for more. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3193536/Inspirational-teenager-fulfils-item-bucket-list-donating-eyes-save-stranger-s-sight-dies-cystic-fibrosis.html
