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Shortage of Donor Organs Keeps Patients Waiting

A 23-year-old Connecticut man is on the waiting list for a new heart.

Colby Salerno is one of more than 100,000 people in America waiting for an organ transplant, leaving him in the dark about when, or if, he will get the heart he needs.

He says the hardest part of waiting for a donor heart is the "unknown."

"There's no timetable at all, you just wait and wait and wait," Colby says. "It could be while me and you are talking my surgeon could be getting a call about a heart available."

Every 18 minutes someone in the U.S. dies waiting for a donor.

There are fewer donors in recent years because people are living healthier.

A single organ donor can save up to eight lives.

Visit OrganDonor.gov to find out how to register.