An Apple Today Gives the Donors a Way - to Register :-)
The latest software update for iPhones, iOS 10, comes with some neat features, like automatically dropping a pin on your map when your car's bluetooth is disconnected. For someone like me who sometimes forgets where he parked his car, this is a real time-saver.
The most potentially helpful thing for the wider society though, has to be the newly added feature to allow people to easily register to become organ donors. In the Health App, a simple sign up form lets you do just that. I tried it myself and it only took a few seconds.
Through this process, I learned that when I chose to be a donor on my California Drivers License, it may not have necessarily registered me across state lines.
As someone who needs a new kidney, I'm glad to see Apple, and more specifically, CEO Tim Cook, take the initiative on this. Apparently, the problem of donor organ shortages hit home for Cook when Steve Jobs was ill with a rare form of pancreatic cancer, and only received a new liver after a very long wait.
With all the iPhone users out there, maybe this will help increase organ donor registrations. I'll be keeping up with the news to see how substantially it will boost the numbers.
If you're interested in donating and have the new iOS, check out the Health App on your iPhone.
For FAQ's about organ donation, check out http://www.organdonor.gov/about/facts-terms/donation-faqs.html.