On Friday, Jan. 24 in Jamrich Hall, the NMU Student Nurses Association (SNA) raised awareness about organ donation through a partnership with the Gift of Life Campus Challenge. The challenge is a program encouraging students to become organ donors and make a difference.
“95% of Americans support organ donation, but only 58% of them are registered,” said Phoebe Martin, nursing student and president of the SNA.
She also discussed how many people die while waiting for an organ and not receiving one.
“We are trying to raise awareness and dispel any myths or concerns people may have towards organ donation. In the media, organ donation is portrayed a lot as something bad,” Martin said. “So, we are trying to be a source for people to come here and answer the questions they may have towards it.”
Martin mentioned that one of the most common myths surrounding organ donation is that a doctor will not save your life if you are an organ donor.
“That is not true. You are their first priority,” Martin said. “You can only donate organs if you are declared dead.”

The Gift of Life Campus Challenge will continue over the next few weeks, providing students and staff with the opportunity to learn about and spread awareness of organ donation. For those interested, visit the Hub to find more information.
The SNA has several upcoming events intended to educate the public and raise awareness for organ donors and families. One of them is a movie night on Monday, Feb. 3 for a documentary called, “Dying to Live.” Martin highly recommends bringing tissues. Another future event is the Donor Walk, which will take place on Thursday, Feb. 6. This event will involve a person who has received an organ transplant, who will speak about his experience.