The Gift of Life
“Don’t think of organ donations as giving up a part of yourself to keep a total stranger alive. It’s really a total stranger giving up almost all of themselves to keep a part of you alive.” ~Unknown
April is National Donate Life Month. Think about that for a moment, let it sink in…DONATE LIFE. If you don’t fully understand what I’m talking about, don’t feel too bad, most people don’t fully understand or appreciate the possibility of being a live donor to those in need, those who are in desperate need of the gift of life. This article is prompted as a friend of mine is scheduled to receive a new kidney on Monday after a multi-year and exhaustive search for a possible donor who would be a good match for his needs. Because he has a living donor, his new kidney should last as long as 15 to 20 years. That is an extra 15 to 20 years he gets to be engaged with his children and grand children and pass along his wealth of knowledge and life experiences.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (ONUS), as of noon today, there are 114,955 people who are in need of life saving organ or tissue transplants. The need for people to consider being a donor is a very real and critical need for a great many people. The wait time for person in need of an organ transplant can last for years. For many, the process takes too long, and they pass without ever getting the gift of life needed. In 2017, over 7,000 people died while waiting for the gift of life that never materialized…that’s 20 people per day who die for a lack of a donor.
The history of successful organ transplants goes back to 1954 when the first successful kidney transplant was performed in Boston as a brother gave his twin the gift of life. As medical technology, transplant procedures and anti-rejection drugs became better, the success rates of transplants sored. In 1984, the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) establishes a nationwide computer registry operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS); authorizes financial support for Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs); prohibits buying or selling of organs in the United States. According to ONUS, since 1988 there have been 726,950 successful transplants of a large variety of organ and tissue procedures. The largest percentage of these procedures have been the gift of life through kidney transplants at nearly 60%. While many procedures require organs or tissue from the recently deceased, many donors can be living donors without impacting the quality of their life. A living kidney donor can live a long and normal life with only one kidney so the possibility being a living donor without complications is incredibly high. Again, most people aren’t aware of the urgent need for living donors to step forward and give this amazing gift of life to those who face certain death. If you have questions about the possibility of becoming a living donor or questions in general about the need for organ donors I encourage you to visit the ONUS website at https://unos.org/
The idea of being an organ donor is one that is close to my heart as not only my friend will receive his gift of new life from his daughter on Monday but my mother-in-law who lives in Washington state received the gift of life almost a year ago from a young woman from Indiana. This gift of life has allowed us, as a family, to enjoy more time with each other as my kids were ecstatic that grandma was going to get better. You just never know how far a reaching an impact a gift of life can achieve. I encourage you to become more informed as we traverse this month of donor awareness by reaching out to become a registered donor or consider becoming a live donor to someone you know or maybe a complete stranger. Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com