Did You Know?

National Donate Life Month is nearly over, but of course it’s a topic that we should talk and write about all year long. I’m always happy to debunk myths or highlight little-known facts about organ donation–particularly living donation–so I thought I’d resurrect another Donate Life Month quiz. Let me know how you do–and please share it to spread the word.

Why NOT Donate Life?

As you surely know by now, April is National Donate Life Month. The vast majority of my posts, naturally, are about living donation and transplant and kidneys. I haven’t written much about the more well known topic of organ donation—that is, after death. It’s one of those subjects that make some people uncomfortable (I was one of them, when I was young).

That said, I’m going to give it a try anyway and hope that you’ll keep reading. No matter what I’m writing about, you may have noticed by now, I prefer a light touch and maybe go for a smile or two. So I’m not going to berate anyone who’s not already signed up to be a donor. And I’m not going to drone on about how important it is and how it’s our duty to our community yada yada. You already know that, right? (If not, I might note that more than 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving organ in this country—most of them for a kidney—and about 17 people die each day because they didn’t get one in time.)

So what am I going to do here? I’m just going to ask a few simple questions:

1-What percentage of people in this country do you suppose die in a way that even makes it possible for their organs to be donated?

2-If a registered organ donor is dying in a hospital, do you imagine that the doctors and nurses will throw in the towel that much sooner?

3-Are you afraid you might not be “completely dead” when they get ready to recover your organs?

Answers:

Less than 1% (If you’re stunned by that news, you’re not alone. Years ago my guess would have been less than half, but maybe 20% or 30%, but I honestly had no idea.) In other words, the pool is very small.
First of all, they don’t even know—or care—whether you’re a donor or not. Their only concern is saving you, their patient (remember “first, do no harm”?). Secondly, transplant teams don’t get involved until after death is pronounced. In fact, most deceased donors actually come from hospitals that don’t even have transplant centers.
Lots of tests are done—even more than usual–to make absolutely sure that someone is in fact dead.

So, if you’ve read this far, thank you! If you weren’t already signed up, I hope this post has given you something to think about and maybe you’ll go to organdonor.gov–or any of a dozen or more sites (don’t wait to renew your driver’s license!)–to register. If you’re already registered, please share this post with others who may not be or who might know someone who would like to share it.

For related posts, resources, and information on The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation, be sure to explore the rest of my website.

5 (Big) Benefits of a Live vs. Deceased-Donor Kidney

If you have a loved one or acquaintance who needs a kidney, you might be wondering why there’s such an emphasis on finding a live donor. Aside from the inescapable reality that there simply aren’t enough deceased-donor organs available (more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for one), live donation offers very real advantages. Here are just five big ones:

1-The wait is much shorter. Kidney patients in the United States may spend 5 to 10 years on the wait list. About 16 patients die every day because they haven’t received the life-saving organ in time. Having a live donor translates to a wait of months instead of years.

2-Because the live donation/transplant can be scheduled—as opposed to waiting for “the call” that a potential kidney match has become available—it can be done under optimal conditions: at the donor’s convenience but also when the patient is at his or her strongest. If one or the other is even mildly sick when the transplant is scheduled, it can be postponed for a few weeks till conditions are just right.

3-The two surgeries are typically done at the same time and often on the same corridor. The shorter time that the kidney is removed from the blood supply—a matter of minutes in such a case—the sooner it will “wake up” and start to function in the recipient’s body.

4-Because the kidney starts to work immediately, the patient often begins to “pink up” and feel better the same day. With a deceased-donor kidney, there’s usually a delay of a few weeks, during which the patient would generally need to be on dialysis.

5-For all of these reasons and more, a live-donor kidney typically lasts significantly longer than one from a deceased-donor: an average of 15 to 20 years versus 10 to 15 with a deceased donor. Those are just averages, though. I know of many recipients of live kidneys who have had theirs for more than 30 years—the record is about 50 years! Deceased-donor kidneys only rarely last more than 30 years.

If you think the benefits of live donation are only for the recipient, watch for my upcoming post on the benefits of live donation for the donor!

April Is National Donate Life Month!

Whether you’re a living kidney donor (like me) or a registered organ donor with a little heart on your driver’s license (also like me), thank you for giving someone a chance at a healthy life! As you may know, more than 100,000 people in this country are on years-long waiting lists for an organ (most of them in need of a kidney). Registering to be an organ donor is easy and quick: just go to http://organdonor.gov, and then be sure to tell your family of your wishes. National Donate Life Month shines a spotlight on organ donation in the hopes of shortening the long wait for a life-saving organ.

So many people can be saved from just one registered donor with two kidneys, a liver, two lungs, a heart, a pancreas, and intestines–and, since 2014, even hands and faces. However, even if everyone registered, there just aren’t enough deceased-donor organs to go around. Did you know that less than 1% of people die in such a way that their organs can be used (typically in a hospital following an accident), though, fortunately, corneas, tissues, blood stem cells, and bone marrow can still be used? That’s why it’s so important to have as large a pool of potential donors as possible.

See my little heart on the right? You can have one, too.

It’s also one of the many reasons that live donation is so important. (We’ll talk more about the benefits of live donation in another post.) Every time someone on the list gets a live donor–and can be removed from the wait list–it shortens the wait for the others on the list. Please help save a life by registering to be an organ donor.