Many hope holidays spur organ donation

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Many hope holidays spur organ donation
Posted on 12/19/2009

NORWALK

By CHASE WRIGHT

Hour Staff Writer


Imagine a holiday gift that costs nothing to give and could be shared among as many as 75 people who would cherish it for a lifetime.

No, you can't find this holiday gift in any store. That's because you already own it. It's inside you -- the gift of life.

"When you consider the ripple effect that organ and tissue donation can have on the lives of so many people ... you're not just giving these people an extra year or two, you're saving their lives," said Chas MacKenzie, education manger with LifeChoice Donor Services, one of two organ procurement organizations in the state.

MacKenzie and many other donation advocates are hoping this holiday season, that those who have yet to register as a donor in Connecticut, consider that more than 105,000 Americans are currently waiting for a life-changing transplant --18 of those people will die everyday waiting.

Of the 3.4 million Connecticut residents, just over 1 million have registered as donors with the Department of Motor Vehicles -- or about 36 percent of all licensed drivers in the state.

In Connecticut, about 1,200 people are waiting for a transplant, more than 900 of those people are in need of a kidney.

Norwalk native Joe Walker is one of these people.

Three times a week, during the early hours of the morning, Walker takes the city bus to Stevens Street where he receives his kidney dialysis. For three hours each visit, his blood is pumped through a dialyzer, cleansed and returned to his body.

The machine does the work of Walker's nonfunctional kidneys. It's a temporary solution until he gets the kidney transplant that he's been waiting more than two years to receive.

There are still 131 people ahead of him on the list.

The experience of living life tethered to a machine has made Walker more appreciative for the things that he does have.

"All the little things that used to bug me are so minuscule when you look at the big picture of health," he said. "I don't take anything for granted anymore. I'm grateful for what I have."

As someone in need of a transplant, Walker said he was distressed to learn that while some 95 percent of Americans supported organ donation in 2005 when the latest Gallup poll was conducted, only about 40 percent of licensed drivers have taken steps to get registered.

"There is still a lot of work to be done to get that remaining 60 percent," MacKenzie said.

Dr. Sukru H. Emre, director of the Transplantation Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital, said the key to getting more donors is through community outreach and education.

"There are several misconceptions about organ donation, which I think deter some people from registering," he said.

Among the biggest myths, Emre said, is the idea that doctors will withhold treatment and let the patient die in order to harvest the organs of a potential donor.

"That is absolutely wrong," he said. "For doctors, their reputation is based on saving lives, not finding organ donors."

Only after a patient is determined dead from brain or cardiac failure is the family approached about their loved-one's wishes to donate his or her organs.

Another misconception, Emre said, is the myth that the family will bare the expense of the procedure. Truth be told, from the time the family gives consent or is notified that the patient is a registered donor, all donation-related costs are the responsibility of the organ recovery agency.

According to Donate Life America, Connecticut is one of 46 states in the country to have a "first person consent" registry, meaning registering as an organ donor is a legally binding decision that can only be revoked by the individual.

MacKenzie said it is very seldom that a family opposes their loved-one's decision to donate their organs and tissues.

"For the family, it's usually a way to bring some good from an unfortunate tragedy," he said.

Twenty-years ago when Emre joined the Transplantation Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital -- one of the only two transplant centers in the state -- Connecticut ranked among the worst in the country in terms of organ donation.

Since then, donation numbers have jumped more than 100 percent, but more community education is needed to increase registration in the state and save lives, Emre said.

That's why East Haven resident Jane Andrews shares her story with anyone who wants to listen.

A diabetic since the age of 7, Andrews lost the use of her kidneys in 2001. After two years of dialysis, she finally found a donor -- a 19-year-old man who had agreed to become a donor and whose kidney and pancreas were donated after his untimely death.

Always the type of person to keep a positive outlook, Andrews admits her experience as a transplant recipient has changed her life for the better.

"I have a new outlook on life," she said. "I thought life was good before I got my kidney transplant, but this ... this is phenomenal."


To become an organ or tissue donor, you can register at the Department of Motor Vehicles when obtaining or renewing a license, or visit www.donatelifenewengland.org to register online.


http://www.thehour.com/story/479557