This edition of HH101 highlights the month of April, National Donate Life Month

By Nakeasha Johnson

April is National Donate Life Month, and with that in mind, I would like for you to think about becoming an organ donor. I know that it is not something that many of us think about when we are younger and sometimes even when we are older, but the need for it is real. As of Wednesday night at 9:16 pm there are 122,347 candidates on a wait list to receive and organ. The number of donors from January of last year to January of this year is 1,120 people according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Listed below are the wait list statistics for African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Multiracial candidates:

African American: 39,830 candidates are wait-listed
Hispanic: 24,176 candidates are wait-listed
Native American: 1,366 candidates are wait-listed
Pacific Islander: 596 candidates are wait-listed
Multiracial: 669 candidates are wait-listed

Most often it takes anywhere from 1 to 2 years on the wait list prior to receiving an organ. Last year alone 2,824 died waiting on a donor. Each day 4,000 more people are added to the national wait list, according to WebMD. It is understood that in many cases disease can cause deterioration of organs. The real question is how many of those diseases could have been prevented with the proper diet and healthy lifestyle. An individuals diet in the vast majority of cases can be linked directly to the cause of most diseases
Taking care of our bodies is important for short and long term health, even though many of us do not think that far ahead. Giving the gift of life to yourself in the form of taking care of yourself is valuable. Giving the gift of life to someone else whose life is hanging in the balance is priceless. So look into becoming an organ donor or at least get information on the topic so that you can become well informed and spread the word.

-Nakeasha Johnson(@NakeashaJ)