Perspective is an interesting thing. You can feel so far detached from an idea one minute and then... boom, something happens and suddenly you're directly related to something that has yet to be important in your life. This summer, one of my closest friends was admitted to the ICU at UCSF hospital in San Fransisco. After a roller coaster of ups, downs, tests, and surgeries he found out he needed a double lung transplant. The double lung transplant was successful and now he is only getting stronger by the day. While this was terrifying for his family, and his huge group of friends here at the University of Oregon, it was also eye opening. Now that I have a personal relationship with a transplant story, I've developed a new perspective. So here are some reasons why I feel you should be an organ donor...

1. Saving Lives

By donating your organs after you die, you can save or improve as many as 50 lives. When over 120,000 people in the U.S are waiting for organ donations right now, why not give what you can? One person made that choice and saved my friends life.

2. Giving Life, Even in Death

Many families say that knowing their loved one helped save others lives can cope with the loss. Something good can come of tragedy. When I asked my friend how he felt about his story, he felt the same way. He told me, "Its a pretty weird feeling that someone's death is the reason I am alive, but at the same time, Im sure the family is glad that their loved one's death was able to help someone else live."

3. So Many People are in Need

Like I said above, over 100,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for their lives to either be saved or drastically improved. Every 13 minutes, a new person is added to the national transplant list.

4. Organ Donation is the Last Option