There are more than 100,000 people in the United States with their name on a list. Each day they wake up with renewed hope that today will be the day that their name will be called and their life will forever be changed.

No, this isn’t a fraternity waiting list, or some strange lottery. This is a list of people waiting to receive lifesaving organs.

According to the Organ Procurement and Transportation Network, as of April 19, 2010 107,028 people are waiting to receive an organ transplant. That is nearly twice the population of Gordon County.

April is Donate Life Month in Gordon County, as proclaimed by the Gordon County Board of Commissioners on April 20.

Donate to Life Month encourages people to become organ donors,

“I can tell you in a business where this is done every day how important this is to the families,” said Alvin Long, BOC chairman and funeral director at Thomas Funeral Home in Calhoun.

Donate Life month encourages everyone to become an organ donor by declaring it on their driver’s license.

There are many types of organ donation people can sign up for including “Donation After Brain Death.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services most organs used in transplants come from people who have suffered brain death as the result of an accident, heart attack, or stroke.

According to Donate to Life Georgia, organ, tissue and eye donors have the opportunity to save eight lives through donation.

The organization also is working to rebuff myths about donation, such as the long held idea that organ donors would not be saved after an accident.

According to Donate to Life medical professionals do everything they can to save a life, and emergency room doctors are not the same doctors involved with organ donation.

For more information on how to become a donor visit, www.donatelifegeorgia.org.