Author Archives: Ruy Laredo

14 Sep

September 15^th marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month! This month, we celebrate the achievements of the Hispanic community throughout the United States, while also underscoring their importance to the organ donor and transplant community.

Because of the generosity of our organ and tissue donors, nearly 5,500 people received a life-saving transplant in the United States last year. People like Alfonso Garcia (pictured below), receive a second chance of life because of your decision to be an organ donor.

Alfonso was the youngest of three brothers who began to grow sick in early 2010. His doctors discovered a previously undiagnosed genetic disorder that was causing his liver to suddenly start failing, leaving him with days to live.

The miracle Alfonso needed came 24 hours later, as he was given a new liver thanks to his organ donor. As of 2016, Alfonso graduated from the University of San Francisco and has given back hundreds of hours to the organ donation community in California.

Hispanic Heritage Month Highlights the Need for Hispanic Donors

While thousands of lives like Alfonso’s were able to be saved last year, there is still a need for more donors, especially minority donors. Recipients have the greatest chance of having a successful organ transplant if their donor is the same ethnicity.

One of the biggest hurdles facing Hispanics who are on the transplant waiting list is gap between Hispanic donors and persons on the transplant waiting list. Almost 20% of persons waiting for transplants are Hispanic, while less than 14% of all donors in 2017 were Hispanic.

Myths surrounding organ and tissue donation tend to disproportionately affect minority communities, Hispanics included. Common myths include that their religion prevents them from donating (almost major religions do not oppose donation) or that being a donor would prevent you from receiving the proper care in a life or death situation.

What Can You Do to Help?

There’s no better way to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month than by signing up to be a donor! Registering as a donor is as simple as visiting our website or signing up at the DMV. Whenever you renew or apply for a new driver’s license or California identification card, remember to check mark “YES” when asked to be an organ donor.

Similarly, if you are connected to the Hispanic community, letting others knows about the gap in donors between ethnicities helps go a long way. With kidney transplants leading the way in most needed organ, Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end stage renal failure and diabetes. Propagating this information across social media and in your own communities goes a long way.

Finally, if you are registered to be an organ and tissue donor, we highly recommend that you let your family and loved ones know of your wishes. While it can be uncomfortable to talk about death, it is a very important conversation to have so that your loved ones know you wish to be a donor.

To register as a donor or for more information about how to get involved please visit our website or our Spanish website, www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org

06 Sep

By
Ruy Laredo

in
Educators

Include an Organ Donation Presentation in the Start of Your School Year

Each fall, thousands of students step onto high school campuses around California for the first time. Over the next four years, they will learn so many things. We hope one piece of that will include an organ donation presentation.

For all the educators out there, the start of the school year is the perfect time to get a presentation on your lesson plan calendar.

As students are heading to get their first driver’s license, they’ll be asked the important question of whether they want to be donors. It’s important to ensure they have all their questions answered before they make their decision.

It’s Now a Part of the Curriculum

In 2012, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1967 which required the health and science frameworks to add information on transplantation and donation. It has since been added to the health framework and will be in the next edition of the science framework.

Donate Life California has worked to create lesson plans and provide educators with resources to help them in preparing for teaching their high school students about donation and transplantation. This can include showing our “Decision to Donate” video, donation related games such as our crossword puzzle, an organ donation presentation, and more.

Why is Discussing Donation in the Classroom Important?

In many cultures, death isn’t a topic we like to talk about. While some students will have discussions at home about donation, many high school students will not be thinking about what they want to happen if they were to pass away. When students fill out their driver’s license application, they will be asked for the first time whether they’d like to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor.

At this point, it is likely that these students haven’t had the chance to learn about, discuss, or ask questions about what donation means.

Having donation and transplantation discussed in the classroom ensures that students are making the best decision for them when they are asked to become a donor.

Does Being a Minor Make a Difference?

In California, you can first sign up for the official organ, eye and tissue donor registry at the age of 13. This is most common when a teenager goes to the DMV for their driver’s license.

While minors may register their intent to become a donor, their parents or legal guardian will still have the final decision on whether their child becomes a donor until they are 18 years old.

At the same time, if a teen wishes to register, their decision to donate will become legally binding when they turn 18. This allows them to ensure their wishes are met as they have the choice to make them.

What Do We Teach Our Students?

First and foremost, it is important to teach students what donation and transplantation are, as well as the facts about the process. There are often myths that are tied to donation and addressing the student’s questions about donation will help them better understand what organ, eye and tissue donation is.

Once students understand the basics of donation, it gives you an opportunity to teach them why donation and transplantation are important. Giving students the opportunity to understand the impact it has on others can help them make the best decision for them.

Additionally, teaching students the importance of discussing donation and their decision with their families is suggested. As noted, minors won’t make the final decision. But even more so, it’s helpful at any age to inform your family members of your wishes after you pass away, even though death isn’t always easy to talk about.

Why Schedule an Organ Donation Presentation?

We’d love to work with you to bring an expert to your classroom when you’re covering donation and transplantation. Having an organ donation presentation as a part of your lesson plan allows you to have an expert answering your students’ questions and allows them to hear personal stories about donation.

While we provide a resource that will answer the most common questions regarding donation, your students might have additional ones you might not yet know the answers to. When you bring in a volunteer or staff member from our local organ procurement organizations, they’ll be able to make sure you’re students questions are answered.

While some students will see the importance of registering as a donor through statistics and facts, some students will be moved by hearing a personal story of how donation has impacted their lives. Whether it is a transplant recipient, living donor, or donor family member who makes the organ donation presentation, this personal connection can make the impact of donation real to your students.

How to Schedule a Presentation?

We have volunteers and staff from the organ procurement organizations around the state that would love to come to your classroom. They’ll work with you to create a presentation that fits your needs and your classroom.

Click here to fill out this form and we’ll put you in contact with your local OPO to get an organ donation presentation on your schedule.

30 Aug

By
Ruy Laredo

in
Frequently Asked Questions

Organ Donation and Whole-Body Donation: What’s the Difference?

One of the most common questions we get at Donate Life California is if a whole-body donation is accepted. Donate Life California is solely responsible for managing the organ and tissue donor registry for California. We can not accept a whole body donation, as dictated by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.

At Donate Life California, our mission is to save lives through organ and tissue donation. We only focus on recovering organs and tissues to gift to persons on the transplant waiting list. Whole body donation programs are specifically targeted for furthering positive scientific research. These programs vary in their scope and research – from developing cures to diseases to understanding additional functions of the human body – all of which are noteworthy and laudable causes, as well.

Whole-body donation, on the other hand, is a different type of program when a donor’s body is gifted to an entity (normally a research university) for research or educational purposes. In most cases, these programs keep the donor’s body and do not return it, or only do when they finish with their research.

How Does The Organ Recovery Process Work?

When one of our local organ procurement organizations receives a referral for an organ donor, the donation process begins and usually takes around 24 hours. Once the process is complete and we have recovered all of the viable organs and tissue possible, we coordinate the return of the donor’s body to a hospital, mortuary, or funeral home. The donor family can then proceed with whatever burial rites

Donate Life California cannot legally keep a body once the donation procedure has finished. We do not provide any cremation or burial services. We will arrange for any necessary transportation and cover any costs. Once we return the body to the donor family, they can proceed to with any funeral arrangements they planned.

For additional information on the donation process, click here.

Can I Be Registered for both Organ Donation and Whole-Body Donation?

A quick answer to this question: it depends on the program you signed up with. Some whole-body donor programs may have a need for a donor’s entire body for research purposes. They may request that you refrain from being an organ and/or tissue donor. Other whole-body donation programs may focus on a specific body part, organ, or tissue that may not be able to be recovered for gifting, but other organs and tissue would be recoverable to gift to those on the transplant waiting list.

If you are both an organ donor and whole-body donor, we suggest that you contact your whole-body donation program. This way, you can clarify what their program needs so that your donation wishes are respected. Whether you are a registered organ donor or a whole-body donor (or both!), you are giving yourself to a cause greater than you and we thank you for helping save lives.

To sign up as an organ and tissue donor and help save up to eight lives and affect another seventy-five, click here.