Nobody likes waiting. As humans, we’re naturally impatient. In today’s world, we have unlimited information and instantaneous gratification at our fingertips – we want it, and we want it now. But imagine being one of more than 118,000 people currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. All the resources are still in your hands which has greatly impacted how those needing a transplant are finding donors, but you’re still waiting and it’s not just for a delivery van to drop off a package or an email to hit your inbox; it’s a matter of life and death.
Types of Organ Donation
There are two types of organ donation: living and deceased donor.
Living organ donation is when a healthy adult donates a kidney or part of their liver to a patient on the waiting list. For patients in need of a liver or a kidney transplant, a living-donor transplant is a first-line treatment option, not a last resort. Living-donor donation allows the patient to receive a transplant sooner. During a living-donor liver transplant, a surgeon removes part of a healthy adult’s liver and transplants it into a patient with end-stage liver disease. The liver regenerates in a few months. This leaves both the living donor and the recipient with a functioning liver. During a living-donor kidney transplant, a surgeon removes one kidney from a healthy adult and transplants it into a patient with end-stage kidney disease. This procedure is possible because you can live a healthy life with one functioning kidney. Living donor transplant offers an alternative for people on the transplant waiting list and increases the number of organs available, saving more lives.
Deceased organ donation simply means that you authorize medical professionals — at the time of your death — to assess your eligibility to transplant your healthy organs or tissues to someone in need. If you choose to be a deceased organ donor, you may be able to donate your heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, intestines, or lungs. You also can donate tissues, such as your corneas, heart valves, ligaments, veins, and bone. Deceased-donor organs are in short supply, and the amount of time a patient will need to spend on the waiting list can be unpredictable.
Why It’s Important
On average, 22 people die every day while waiting for a transplant. It takes just one donor to make an impact. One donor has the potential to save eight lives and improve the lives of up to 75 others. It can also bring happiness to the donors and the recipients and their loved ones. Organ donation can also be a rewarding and positive experience for the family of the donor. It can help a family work through the grieving process and deal with their loss by knowing their loved one is helping save the lives of others.
People of all ages, races, and ethnicities, and even those with pre-existing health conditions, can be potential donors. When a person dies, they are evaluated for donor suitability based on their medical history. The most important factor for a successful transplant is a compatible blood type between donor and recipient.
How Can You Help?
On average, one person is added to the organ donation wait list every 10 minutes. By registering as an organ donor, you can save lives and offer hope to those waiting on a transplant. Even elderly and chronically sick people can become organ donors and donors’ family members are not financially responsible for the recovery and processing of donated tissue and organs after death.
April is Donate Life Month and is meant to spread organ donation awareness and encourage registration to become an organ donor. Making the decision to become an organ donor is an important one. Every person that says yes to organ donation gives hope to those waiting for organ, eye, and tissue donations.
Registering to become an organ donor is the first step to improving or saving lives. But there’s much more you can do. Spread the word, share this article with your social networks, and ask friends and family whether they’re registered. Host an event to raise awareness for an individual on the organ donor waiting list. Encourage more living donors to help by contributing financially to the American Transplant Foundation. To get involved or to become an organ donor, go to UPMC.com/DonateLife.
By Heidi Weeder, BSN
Intensive Care Unit, UPMC Williamsport
Heidi Weeder, BSN, is a senior clinician with the Intensive Care Unit at UPMC Williamsport and co-chairman of the Organ and Tissue Donation Council of UPMC in North Central Pa. For more information, visit UPMC.com/DonateLife.
