When Joseph Hamm Jr., 59, of Rapid City, died suddenly in May 2003 of a brain aneurysm, his daughter, Michele Carlin, was faced with the hasty decision about whether to donate his organs.

"I had heard of organ donation but never really thought much about it," Carlin said.

Carlin's parents had been divorced for some time, and she has one younger brother. She realized she was her father's next of kin, and because he had not indicated on his driver's license whether he wished to be a donor, the decision was hers.

"It was such a blur," Carlin said. "The nurse came and talked to me about it."

She decided to donate, and her father's organs went to help a number of people.

That decision perhaps kept those recipients from being among the 17 people on average who die each day in the United States because life-saving organs are not available for them, according to Rebecca Ousley, public-relations coordinator for LifeSource of St. Paul, Minn.

Ousley said the number of people signing up to be organ donors has increased in the past year on the national level.

She said per capita, South Dakota has a higher number of donors than the national average: 47 percent of licensed drivers and identification-card holders in South Dakota are designated organ donors.

"The biggest things we see is that people haven't thought about it," Ousley said. "I would encourage people to think about organ and tissue donation before they're in a position where they have to make a decision about it."

She said marking "organ donor" on a driver's license application is sufficient legal notification.

"But we always encourage people to share their wishes with their family," Ousley said.

South Dakotans have been able to designate themselves as donors since 2001 on driver's licenses and in living wills.

Brooke Bohnenkamp, public-information officer for the state Department of Public Safety, said as of this January, 319,761 people with had indicated on the driver's license applications that they wish to be organ donors.

South Dakotans who have not indicated on their driver's license that they wish to become organ donors can go to the Web site www.donatelifesd.org or call 888-5-DONATE (888-536-6283) to get a form to fill out and return to the state Department of Public Safety. The department then sends a donor sticker to affix to your driver's license.

Ousley said organ donation cannot occur until a donor has been pronounced dead.

Bone, marrow, lungs, pancreas, heart, skin, eyes, kidneys, connective tissue, liver, intestines and heart valves all can be donated.

Carlin said she was "in a blur" when she made the decision to donate her father's organs. Only later did she realize the good that came for many people from her decision. Carlin said a LifeSource representative told her that her father's organs helped about 20 people.

"I didn't realize how many people could benefit," she said.

"It's really cool to understand later what can come of organ donation."

Carlin has received letters from some of the recipients of her father's organs.

Communication between an organ recipient and the family of the donor takes place through a representative with an organ-donation service such as LifeSource.

Carlin said she was struck by some of the similarities between her father and the man who received one of his kidneys.

One letter from him said, "In thinking back over the last three years, I guess the most rewarding experience has been with family and to see my grandkids grow up."

That recipient, whose name is Joseph, has a daughter, Michelle, and a grandson, Joseph, like Hamm. Like Hamm, the man flies an airplane, and his family has a music background.

"Every time I get another letter, I find another coincidence," Carlin said.

She said she has not met any of the recipients of her father's organs, but she might, in time.

In one of his letters, Joseph said, "I guarantee you that not one day has gone by that I haven't prayed for your family and expressed thanks for your gift of life."

After her father's death, Carlin and her family were invited to represent the upper Midwest at the United States Transplant Games in Minneapolis.

The event is an athletic competition for people who have had organ transplants, and seminars about organ donation are held at the games.

She said despite the difficulty of losing her father, the decision to donate his organs was not all that difficult to make.

"How can you make the wrong choice when there's a gift like that that can be given?" Carlin said.

She said hearing from the recipients and their families makes it even clearer that she made the right choice.

"If I can't have Dad here, some grandchild needs their grandpa," she said.

She said she encourages others who are willing to be organ donors to make their wish known.

"Check the box," Carlin said. "It will make the next of kin's decision so much easier."

Organ donation fact-sheet

* There are 149 South Dakotans waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

* There are about 100,000 people in the United States waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

* Each day, more than 100 people are added to the national transplant waiting list.

* About 17 people nationwide die each day because the organ they need is not available.

* One donor can save or enhance as many as 60 lives through organ and tissue donation.

* South Dakotans can document their wish to be an organ and tissue donor by checking the box on their driver's license application and sharing their decision with family.

* To register to be a donor by mail, go to www.donatelifesd.org.

Source: LifeSource

Contact Katie Brown at 394-8318 or katie.brown@rapidcityjournal.com