This is one of those things that really gets me going. Every year, people die needlessly, waiting for organs or bone marrow transplants. Every year, millions of sick or injured people get blood transfusions to help save their lives. Helping these people is simple, easy, and doesn't cost you a penny. Donating your blood regularly, and signing up as an organ or bone marrow donor will almost certainly make a difference in someone's life somewhere and make the world a better place.
Here's a little info about each of these things:
Like I mentioned above, millions of pints of blood are needed each year to help sick and injured people survive. A 30 minute trip to the blood center or simply participating in a blood drive could literally save someone's life. It doesn't really hurt except perhaps for the one second they're putting the needle in, and it's completely safe. You can donate blood every two months if you wanted to, but try to do it at least once a year if you can.
For you hard core people, look into platelet donation, where they take just the platelets from your blood and return the rest. This process takes somewhat longer, but you get to watch a movie while you do it so it's kind of cool.
Here are some links:
New Jersey Blood Center - http://www.bloodnj.org
New York Blood Center - http://www.nybloodcenter.org
American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org
Bone Marrow is one of the few things that can be transplanted from a living donor. People with various ailments including leukemia require bone marrow transplants to save their lives. But the catch is that bone marrow is very hard to match. Unlike blood, your bone marrow only matches something like one in a million people. Getting more and more people to register as donors is the only way that people in need of a transplant can hope to find a suitable donor. Registering as a donor does not mean you'll be selected as one. The odds of someone that matches you needing your marrow are incredibly small, but should you actually be contacted, you will have to opportunity to save someone's life.
For a true bone marrow story, check out this from Shelli Feigenbaum.
And of course, check out the national bone marrow site
National Marrow Donor Program - http://www.marrow.org/index.html
Here's something you can do to save people's lives even after your own has ended. Depending on how you die, it's very possible that your organs will still be in good shape. All over the country, people are literally running out of time waiting for a suitable organ donation to save their lives. Signing up for organ donation is simple and quick, and I can safely say that donation won't hurt a bit. In a way, this is a chance for at least a part of you to go on living. Please consider being an organ donor. Check out the web site for more info.
National Organ Donor Registry - http://www.organdonor.org
Now that I've taken your blood, marrow, and other assorted parts, I just want to say thanks for being so generous,
Mitch