The little heart on a driver’s license that designates the holder as an organ donor won’t have any direct impact on the life of the person whose picture is above it. After all, that’s why the decision has to be made ahead of time ”“ donors aren’t alive to make it once it’s time to actually give.

So for anyone who will end up actually donating, it’s little more than a gesture of charity and a hope that they could live on in some small way.

For organ recipients, however, that little heart means the world. Or at least a second chance to experience that world.

April is Donate Life Month in Maine, and Gov. Paul LePage has signed a proclamation recognizing it, in an effort to encourage people to sign up to be an organ or tissue donor upon their death. President Barack Obama signed a similar proclamation for the nation.

We’d like to join them, and others ”“ especially the local organ recipients who are alive today because of donors ”“ in promoting organ donation.

As far as “giving back” goes, this is perhaps the easiest method. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, most of those who end up donating organs have suffered head trauma, aneurysm or stroke and have been declared dead because their brain has ceased to function.

These are traumatic ways to lose a loved one ”“ these deaths are usually sudden and unexpected, often resulting from an undiagnosed condition or an accident. For many, organ donation in these instances can provide a sense of peace in knowing that the death was not in vain, that something very good came from even this darkest of experiences.

Of course, it may initially be tougher on a grief-stricken family to know that their loved one’s body is being harvested for its parts. But in the long run, knowing that someone is using their corneas to see, their heart to pump blood or their lungs to breathe, should change their minds. How can anyone fail to be inspired by new life from death?

Some people have hesitated to become donors because they are afraid they won’t receive proper lifesaving care if they are injured, picturing a pack of organ-hungry vultures hovering about while their life hangs in the balance, but this notion is a fallacy. Medical professionals are required to do everything they can to save a life. Yes, organs and tissue have to be harvested and transported quickly, but it’s not until a patient is declared brain dead that the process actually begins to take place. “Brain dead is dead” as the DHHS organ donation website states ”“ there’s no coming back. It’s these rare cases, where the heart is still pumping but the brain is too damaged to live on, when organs can be salvaged for use by others. And there are many others who are in need.

Currently in Maine, 108 people are waiting for a life-saving organ, such as a heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas or intestines, according to the New England Organ Bank ”“ and that number jumps to more than 4,600 throughout New England and 113,000 in the U.S.

The stories of organ recipients like Nancy Cantara of Biddeford, who is alive today because she is using someone else’s heart, should be enough to convince anyone to sign up for organ donation. If her donor had not made the decision to give, Cantara would most certainly not have seen her children get married or lived to see her grandchildren grow. Happy for every new day, Cantara told the Journal Tribune that she recognizes they “are all borrowed years.”

It’s worth taking a moment to really think about what it would be like to know that you are going to die unless you get a replacement organ ”“ whatever it may be ”“ and to be dependent on the generosity of someone who has died in an untimely fashion and willed their parts to whomever is most in need. Think about how you would feel if you knew you might be able to see again if someone would just be generous enough to leave their corneas for you once they didn’t need them anymore.

Most people put a lot of thought into who will get their stuff and who will take care of their dependents when they die. We’d urge everyone to also consider who might benefit from your body parts if you die in such a way as to be an eligible donor. For some of us, it might be the most lasting legacy we leave on this earth.

Anyone 18 or older can register online at donatelifenewengland.org or at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles during license renewal. Donors can also choose to exclude any particular organs or tissues and decide if they want to exclude organ use for research.

Ӣ Ӣ Ӣ

Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.