Give the gift of life

To the Editor:

As Christmas Day approaches and the season and time of year is here when we think of giving gifts to others, let us think of giving someone else the gift of life - think of being an organ donor. We do not have to wait until our life ends. Some organs can be given while we are living such as the kidney, as we only need one, and help to save a person on dialysis. We can also donate part of our liver (half) to a person who needs a transplant to live. Both halves of the liver will grow back to the size it was before the transplant. The transplants can be done at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA, or in Boston as no place in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont does them.

Unfortunately, only one-third of the 17,000 people on the transplant list will get a donated liver. 20 percent of the people on the transplant list will die each year. By having living donors the numbers of those who die each year will go way down and save 20 to 40 percent more.

Many of those needing transplants may be people who have helped others by donating their time to help families, adults in need, children in school, sports, scouts or church groups. At this time when they need our help, let us give them the gift of life just as the Christ Child did for us and make it a Merry Christmas for those in need.

Gordon McLaren

Harrison/Norway