Giving Tuesday: Sharing The Gift Of Life With An Organ Donation

Today is Giving Tuesday, but the United Network For Organ Sharing or UNOS refers to it as "Life Giving" Tuesday. Maureen McBride, interim CEO of UNOS, says, "A single donor can save up to eight lives." More than 100-thousand people are currently waiting for an organ in the United States. “It's an opportunity for us to always be grateful for the many people that have made the decision to become a donor and to encourage people who have not yet made that decision to sign up,” McBride says.

Andrea Yochim from California is a living organ donor and has changed the lives of two men by giving them both the gift of life. "It's the most amazing thing that you can honestly choose to do," she says.

The 54-year-old mother of four donated her kidney to Texas pastor Yuri Carralero in 2018. "It's a powerful thing to be able to have an impact on someone's life," Yochim says. Yochim learned she could donate part of her liver, while recovering from her first surgery. She went on Facebook to offer a portion of her liver, and a year later, Vietnam veteran Dennis Arnfelt of Iowa received his gift of life.

Just 133 living donors in the United States have given two organs to different recipients, according to UNOS.

Yochim remains close with her recipients. She wears a necklace with an infinity symbol as an infinite reminder that her gift keeps on giving. “He'll always be a part of me and his family will be just as I'm a part of him," she says. Yochim hopes her story inspires others to become living organ donors.

You can visit the website registerme.org, where you can answer a few simple questions and register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.