Tag Archives: Organ Donation

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

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.

31 Jul

By
Administrator

in
News

Californians hit it out of the park supporting Donate Life this summer

Summer just wouldn’t be the same without baseball. It’s true in California and for all of those supporting Donate Life. Major League Baseball teams all over the state are partnering to support organ, eye, and tissue donation with Donate Life Nights & Days this summer.

Sharing the message about donation is our top priority and California’s OPOs are hitting it out of the park by sharing the message of donation and registering new donors at California’s ballparks.

Folks have been signing up as donors at ballparks across the state. If you have signed up yet, take a few minutes and register as an organ, eye and tissue donor here.

Supporting Donate Life at AT&T Park

On July 3rd, the San Francisco Giants partnered with Donor Network West for a Donate Life Day at AT&T Park. Balldude, Matt De Fina, a double-lung recipient, and Balldudette, Pati Hughes-Fudge, a liver recipient, are happy to protect the crowd from screaming foul balls.

And Austin Salinas of Fresno, CA, who has been waiting for a kidney for over two years was able to shoot “Play Ball” with Lou Seal. Check out some of the photos here.

Donate Life Night at Petco Park

Down South, at Petco Park, the Padres and Lifesharing celebrated a Donate Life Night on July 30th. David Abbott, who’s younger brother saved the lives of three children and one adult after becoming a donor three years ago, threw the honorary first pitch for the game.

David’s pitch in honor of his brother kicked off Donate Life Night at the San Diego Pardes and was even featured on the local NBC station. You can watch the pitch here!

Even More, Events to Come

Before baseball season is over we’ll have at least two more around the state, giving you a chance to play ball with the Donate Life community.

In Northern California, on August 18th join the Oakland A’s and Donor Network West for a day game. Find out more about attending here.

And on August 25th, you’ll find OneLegacy back at Dodgers Stadium. Get your tickets to join the game here.

No matter who you’re rooting for on the field we’re all rooting for saving lives through donation. We’re sending a big thank you to all of California’s Major League Baseball teams for joining us in this fight!

And if you’re looking for even more events keep an eye on our event calendar or sign up for our newsletter to find even more.