To the editor:

Thank you so much for placing the topic of organ and tissue donation on the front page of the Journal-World. There are currently 101,630 people waiting for some type of organ transplant. In Kansas alone there are 404 on the waiting list. Every 16 minutes another name is added to the national waiting list. An average of 18 people die every year because a suitable donor organ was not available.

Our 17-year-old daughter was one of the lucky ones. She had a liver transplant when she was 7 1/2 months old. She is now a high school senior and will graduate in May. Thanks to the wonderful, thoughtful, unselfish family who chose to donate their loved one’s organs, she is here today to be able to experience life and fulfill her dream of playing college volleyball. She celebrated the 17th anniversary of her transplant on April 11.

April is National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness month. If you are already an organ and tissue donor, thank you! If you are not an organ and tissue donor, please think about it and discuss it with your family. Please visit the Web site of the Midwest Transplant Network (www.mwtn. org) if you would like more information about becoming an organ and tissue donor. You have the power to give the gift of life! Become an organ donor!