On their website dedicated to organ and tissue donation, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services shares, "Each day, about 79 people receive organ transplants. However, 18 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs."
Fortunately, you can do something to positively change those numbers simply by electing to become an organ and tissue donor. The website also declares that 100 million people in the United States have signed up to be a donor but with a population of more than 317 million people, that's less than 1/3 involved in organ and tissue donation.
What's stopping others from getting involved? Age is one reason - children under the age of 18 cannot become a donor without permission from the parent or guardian. Also, there's a lot of confusion around the subject of organ and tissue donation.