An uptick in interest in organ donation thanks to the story of an 18-year-old Mizzou football player who got a heart transplant last week.
Amber Carriker at Mid-America Transplant says that the need for organs is great.
“Nationwide, there's more than 100,000 people that are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant," Carriker says. "To put that in perspective, the football stadium at Mizzou, since we're talking about Mizzou, holds about 65,000 people.”
Mizzou football player Johnnie "DJ" Jones was put on the waiting list after being diagnosed with a heart condition this summer. He had a heart transplant surgery last week.
Carriker knows people always have questions about the list.
“If you are deemed eligible for transplant through your physician, they will put you on the national waiting list," Carriker explains. "And then depending on what organ you're waiting for, how sick you are, kind of what your personal circumstances are, will guide where you are at on the waiting list.”
In Missouri, there are about 14-hundred people waiting for an organ, kidneys are the most in demand. She says you can designate yourself an organ donor when you renew your license, or you can do it online.
Missourinet