February 14 is National Organ Donation Day. We celebrate organ donors and their families who have given the “Gift of Life” to hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States – most of whom would otherwise have passed away from organ failure.
Last year, the United States set a national record transplanting over 30,000 organs for the first time including: 19,060 kidney, 7841 liver, 3191 heart, 2327 lung, 1012 pancreas and 147 intestinal transplants. Kidneys always make up the greatest number of transplanted organs with approximately 1/3 of the kidneys from living donors and the rest from deceased donors – given by consent of the donor through the national donor registry or driver’s license renewals or with the permission of the donor family.
At Rhode Island Hospital, we’ve been blessed to help 494 people donate a kidney to a loved one – a family member, friend, colleague at work, or member of the community. Thirty-seven individuals donated a kidney to a stranger in need,. It remains one of the great privileges of medicine to assist all of these altruistic individuals in their goal to improve the life of another human being.
Deceased donors and their families are equally appreciated. With the passing of a loved one, some families may be offered the chance to donate organs for transplantation. The potential donors range in , age from infant to 85-years-old.
Who benefits? The 30,000 recipients in 2016 whose lives were improved and prolonged by transplantation benefitted. The 5, 974 living donors who enjoyed the company of the one they saved benefitted. Almost 10,000 deceased donor families last year benefitted by taking pride in knowing they did what their deceased love one would have wanted. On their last day on earth he or she aided the living by providing life-saving organs to restore a person’s health and well-being so they could enjoy time with their family, work, and volunteer, contribute to society and be amongst us to interact, to share and to love.
In short, we all benefit. Having been a part of transplantation for over a quarter century, I’ve seen countless wonders and thousands restored to health through the gift of organ donation. Much has been accomplished, but with over 1,000 Rhode Islanders on dialysis, many more await transplantation. For many, dialysis maintains life until transplantation is possible.
Consider registering as an organ donor.
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