organs to others may have much greater results than the family might have expected. Their decision to donate his young and healthy organs to help other people may have been difficult but it was the right thing to do.

As a result of the publicity surrounding his horse riding accident and the family's decision to allow a medical team from the United States to remove vital organs, Bermuda may well create a wide organ donor system. How wonderful that would be and what a great tribute to Jason Jones and other Bermudians before him who have acted so generously.

The decision by Jason Jones' family was a big push for the start of Organ Donor Awareness Week in Bermuda. Nurses from the King Edward Hospital will be around and about in Hamilton this week handing our organ donor cards. We urge people to think seriously about giving a "gift of life'' by filling out one of these cards. We know that there is something a bit gruesome about agreeing to have your body parts harvested, but the gift you give after death is what is important. The Transport Ministry and the Road Safety Council are now considering organ donor cards attached to driving licences. Cards consenting to organ donation have been described as "the gift of life'' and we think that is the way Bermudians should look at organ donation.

As for a donor card attached to a driving licence, it has been suggested that the current driving licence is too small to contain the information. That is being examined but it must be possible to have something like a double fold driving licence with half devoted to donor information or simply two cards fastened together in some way.

There are many people whose lives can be extended if only they can find a suitable donor. We should remember that there are a number of Bermudians who would not be with us today if they had not received a transplant. Calvin Ming, who makes such an enormous contribution to drug awareness and to combatting the drug problem is still making that contribution because he has a donor's heart.

Organ transplants are becoming more and more successful and thus suitable organs are in greater demand. It may have come as a surprise to some people who read yesterday that Bermudians have donated more than 100 body parts in recent years ranging from hearts and livers to tiny ear bones which can restore hearing. But then Bermudians have always been both generous and caring.

Bermuda should salute the family of Jason Jones and the other courageous and caring families who have agreed to their loved ones becoming donors.