BURLINGTON, Vt. -
The next time you log on to Facebook, you'll have another option, to share the gift of life with others. Facebook is making the decision to be an organ donor as easy as a click away. Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerburg, came up with an idea to make becoming an organ donor easier for everyone, and this news is welcomed by transplant doctors who say any awareness is good.
Roughly 150 people in Vermont are on a waiting list for an organ transplant. The wait is anywhere from two to four years.
"When organs that could be used... aren't, six people could die," said Dr. Antonio Di Carlo, Transplant Surgeon at Fletcher Allen Health Care.
When Facebook announced Tuesday that it is making it easier for users to become organ donors, Di Carlo says it was great news, "The impact the potential good out of this is real."
So here's how it works: On your Facebook profile page click on ‘ Life Event,' then hit ‘Health and Wellness' and choose organ donor. If you're not already officially registered as an organ donor you can click on, ‘sign up here with the appropriate registry,' and it will take you to your state's web site to sign up.
"Doing this for yourself even for just 30 seconds one click and saying this is what I want to do, makes it easier for everyone else," said Di Carlo.
He says Vermont just activated its registry about a year ago, which could be confusing for people who think they are registered. In the state of Vermont, even if you check that you want to be an organ donor on your license it doesn't necessarily mean that you are, family members can still override that decision.
Dicarlo is hopeful this new option on Facebook will drastically help Vermont gain organ donors.
"A thing like Facebook is a godsend to us. It can get to the message and do in one night what it would take us a year to do."
Just to give you an idea of the influence Facebook could have, the site now has around 900 million members around the world.
Portion of video courtesy by Fletcher Allen Health Care
