Organs should go first to those who were willing to donate theirs

Regarding "Age shouldn't preclude patients from organ transplants" in the Feb. 28 Thousand Oaks Acorn, Lois Tumanello was very lucky to get a lung transplant. Over half of the 98,000 Americans on the national waiting list will die before they get a transplant.

Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. More than 6,000 of their neighbors die every year as a result.

There's a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage - - give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't prepared to share the gift of life should go to the back of the transplant waiting list as long as there's a shortage of organs.

Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a nonprofit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling (888) ORGAN88.

There's no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any preexisting medical condition.

LifeSharers has 10,714 members, including 1,348 in California. David J. Undis Executive director of LifeSharers Nashville, Tenn.