We've published many pleas for people who need an organ transplant to live.

The effects of a failing heart, lungs or kidneys ravage their bodies as their families, friends and neighbors helplessly watch.

The medical advancements and technology are there to extend their lives. The skilled surgeons, doctors, nurses and their support staffs are ready.

But receiving an organ is far from guaranteed. We have the power to change the odds.

On April 6, health care professionals, family members and others celebrated the ultimate gift given by Penn Township resident Jacob Grady.

Jacob, a Knoch High School graduate, died in 2020 in a snowmobile accident. His heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys and corneas saved the lives of some and improved the quality of life for others.

“For my family, it brings a sense of peace knowing that Jacob was able to help others,” said his mother, Laurie Grady.

More families are having that critical conversation to become an organ donor.

The Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) said nearly 700 life-saving organ transplants were made possible throughout the region in 2021 through the gifts of 325 organ donors.

Jacob's gift was recognized at the event to draw attention to National Donate Life Month and urge others to become organ donors.

“We were lucky that family experiences led us to talk about it, and we knew what our son's wishes were,” Laurie Grady said.

Allegheny Health Network, which hosted the event with CORE, performed nearly 250 organ transplants across its service area in 2021.

“At the end of the day, it makes a huge difference in one person's life, and it can save up to eight lives,” AHN's Chelsea Bauer said.

Organ donors are needed — young and old. CORE noted that of the 325 organ donors last year, 10 were over the age of 75. The liver of a 95-year-old organ donor is improving the life of a 60-year-old woman, CORE reports.

Tissue and cornea donors are needed as well. In 2021, according to CORE, the region had 1,315 tissue donors and 664 cornea donors. That resulted in the healing and restored sight of more than 99,000 people.

With the check of the box on a driver’s license or a line in a living will, a donor could possibly save the lives of eight people and heal the lives of 75 through tissue donation.

There are nearly 2,600 people in our region waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, according to CORE.

“A new person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes,” the organization says in an appeal on its website. “Yet only half of Pennsylvanians and a third of West Virginians are registered as organ donors.”

We can change that too. Make your intentions known. Make your last act on this Earth one that saves the lives of others.

— DJS