Valentine’s Day a good time to sign up to donate your heart

As February 14th approaches, the Iowa Donor Network is trying to convince people to express a different sort of love. Sarah Robertson is spokeswoman for the non-profit agency, which provides organ donation services to hospitals across Iowa.Valentine’s Day is a day to give gifts from the heart. There are 40 Iowans who are on a waiting list for heart transplants and 280 others who are waiting for tissue and other organs. Robertson says more than 14-thousand Iowans are registered as donors through the network, but more are needed. She says some patients have waited six months to a year or longer.Robertson says many people think checking the box for “organ donor” on their driver’s license is enough, but she says the best way to become a donor is to sign up online. She says it’s a legally binding document that will ensure your wishes are carried out if you sign up to be a donor.The address is “www.IowaDonorRegistry.org” or call 877-366-6742.