Did you know that every day 20 people die while waiting for an organ transplant. There is an urgent need for more people to be registered as an organ donor. Today I will present to you the problems that exist due to the lack of organ donors, diseases that can be cured with a transplant, and a solution to this problem. To begin, every year the number of people put on a waiting list for a transplant increase far more than that of both the amount of donors and transplants combined. According to organdonor.gov, there were over 116,000 people nation-wide on the transplant waiting list.
Also, according to organdonor.gov, 95% of the adults in the United States supports organ donation, but only 54% of those are registered as an organ donor. With the growing numbers of necessary transplants and the lack of available organs causing death, we must have more people registered as an organ donor. In addition, this problem affects thousands of people throughout the world in a variety of different ways. There are well known diseases that you or someone you know has and can only be cured with a transplant. First, here are some diseases that can be cured with an organ transplant.
According to lcnw.org one example is cardiomyopathy, which is a disease that affects the muscle of the heart. It causes difficulty in delivering blood to the body and could lead to heart failure. A heart from a donor is preserved outside of one’s body for 4 to 6 hours before being transplanted into the recipient. Emphysema can also be cured with a transplant. This occurs when the air sacs in the lungs become damaged and can lead to breathing problems, the effects of emphysema cannot be reversed. Similar to a heart transplant, lungs can be preserved for 4 to 6 hours before the transplant.
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Lastly, diabetes can be cured with a kidney transplant. Diabetes causes too much sugar in the blood. Kidneys can be preserved for up to 36 hours until they are transplanted. For all organ transplants the blood type and size and weight of the donor are looked at carefully to ensure the organ will function well in its new environment. Tissues can be transplanted as well in hope of curing a disease. People with orthopedic conditions benefit from bone and connective tissue transplants. This allows surgeons to reconstruct different bones and tissues within a patient to lessen pain. Skin can also be another donated tissue. By donating skin, you can help in the healing process of burn victims. Finally, low circulation can be fixed with the help of vein transplants. Vein transplants can help to avoid various amputations.
These diseases are not the limit to what can be cured with a transplant, there are many more. The main solution to fix the problem is to register as an organ donor. You might be wondering where and how do I become an organ donor. The process is simple, one can register as an organ donor by selecting “yes” when applying for your drivers license, signing a donor card, or registering with the Organ Donor Registry of your state. For example, a registered organ donor can positively impact the lives of 50 people and save the lives of 8 others. According to organdonor.gov, one can donate most organs which also depends on whether the donor is alive or deceased when giving.
One can also donate corneas, tissues, hands and face, bone marrow, blood stem cells, blood, and platelets. Now I’m guessing most of you won’t be willing to become a donor without knowing how it works. One can be alive or deceased when giving. If you are giving an organ or tissue while alive this is how it works. You will be tested through different examinations to make sure what you are donating is functioning well. Also, they will check to see if you will be able to give up the organ or tissue and recover to normal. The tests and examinations may take several months to complete. If it is okay to donate, you will meet and discuss with a transplant surgeon. Surgery is the next step in the donation process. Afterwards comes recovery. In the recovery stage, depending on the transplant, you may be prescribed different medicines and be ordered to not work for a period of time. You will have check-ups with your doctor to see if everything is returning to normal.
Most of the organ donations comes from those who are deceased. Here is a scenario of what a transplant from someone who is deceased may be like. Someone comes to the hospital and has some sort of complication. For example, maybe a brain injury due to the lack of oxygen or a different incident had occurred. The doctors will do the best they can to save the patient’s life, but this does not always work and sometimes nothing can be done. Now, the patient has permanent brain damage and loss of functions. The patient is pronounced clinically dead. This is where organ donation comes into play, by being an organ donor it can bring hope to other families.
A machine that has been keeping blood and oxygen flowing through the organs has allowed them to be passed along. This one patient can positively impact the lives of 50 people or more through tissue and eye donations. They will also be able to save the lives of 8 others through organ donations. Since the patient, who is a donor is deceased, the hospital must contact an Organ Procurement Organization quickly. This organization operates the organ restoration process and they will check the organ donor registry in the state. They will inform the family if the deceased is already registered as an organ donor. If they are not, they will ask the family to consent to donation. If organ donation is going to take place, they will then check their medical history, social history, and perform a medical examination.
Once this is completed and they are eligible, a computer will search a national waiting list to find a match. They try to find a match for each organ, and once a match is found, the recipient will get notified by their transplant teams. This can be a life changing call for everyone on the waiting list, this is everything they have been hoping for. Now that they have the donor with the best match, it is time for the transplant. The organs will be recovered by a surgical team and they will be sent to the hospitals where the patient and transplant will be taking place. When the recipient finally receives their second chance at life, they will need to take medications and live a healthy lifestyle to keep the organ healthy and well functioning.
Anyone can be an organ donor, regardless of age. If you are not registered as a donor currently, it is never too late to do so. Now I want you all to think back to the patient, just by being a registered organ donor, they have given someone the best gift of all, the gift of life. The solution of registering as an organ donor is the best option because it increases the amount of donations for patients. It will also decrease the time patients are on waiting lists. Always remember, becoming a registered organ donor can save the lives of many. I have talked to you about the problems existing with the minimal amount of organ donors, what effects it has on the lives of others, how it affects them, and how we can provide a solution to this problem. One donation can give the recipient a second chance at living a life full of health and happiness.
