I am a lucky man. I grew up in a family with much love and many privileges. But my good fortune goes far beyond that. Because of a life-saving transplant, I have lived to see my children grow up healthy and happy in one of the most blessed places on earth.

Yet there is no escaping the fact that my good fortune is inextricably linked to the tragedy of another. While I lay in a Nebraska hospital twelve years ago, recovering from surgery, another family in Denver was reeling from the loss of their twenty-one year old son. Yet somehow amidst the worst moment in their life, this family had donated their son's organs, saving as many as six other lives besides my own.

Sometimes you'll hear people talk of organ donation as an obligation, a duty. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is a gift - the greatest and most generous one you can give. So if organ donation is something you believe in, talk to your family and loved ones. Even if it isn't, talk about that as well. Your family needs to know exactly where you stand.

Even then, it can get complicated. When families are faced with the choice to donate, the shock of a loved ones' death can understandably wreak havoc with recollection and decision-making. Putting the pink "donor dot" on your driver's license can help, but statistics show that wallets are often lost or misplaced during tragic accidents.

As of this month there is now an additional and perhaps more reliable alternative: the Donate Life California Registry (www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or for Spanish Speakers www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org). While the ultimate decision to donate organs still rests with the family, this state-monitored, "read-only" web site will record and safeguard your wishes. Just as importantly, it may help protect your family from a haunting uncertainty during an extremely difficult time.

-James Redford President & Founder, JRI www.jrifilms.org James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness