A New Year's resolution: Become an organ donor and save lives

A New Year's resolution: Become an organ donor and save lives

Posted: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 12:15 am | Updated: 6:00 pm, Tue Jan 10, 2012.

By Ruth Z. Deming | 1 comment

Had it not been for the miracle of organ transplantation, I would not be alive today. I took the drug lithium for 16 years to manage my bipolar disorder. Unbeknownst to me or my doctors, the little pink pills were gradually destroying my kidneys. When lithium became the first drug to treat bipolar disorder, or intense mood swings, back in 1970, no one knew the long-term consequences, which are now painfully evident. Ten or more years on the drug and you may need dialysis or a transplant. I know a dozen such individuals.
Luckily for me, my 37-year-old daughter Sarah was deemed a good match. In April of last year, surgeons at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia transplanted Sarah’s kidney into my lower right abdomen. I designed my own T-shirt that reads, “Ask Me Why I Have 3 Kidneys.”
I’m forever grateful for this gift of love. If all goes well, I can expect to live another 16 years with Sarah’s kidney. That’ll make me 82 years old.
I’m psyched!
The first kidney transplant was performed in 1954. The problem of rejection was avoided because the patients — two young men of 23 — were identical twins. Chief surgeon Joseph Murray, still alive today at 92, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1990, heralding the successful era of transplantation. Murray was also instrumental in the discovery of anti-rejection meds in the 1980s, making future transplants possible.
Forty-three percent of all Americans are organ donors, not nearly the number needed. All major religions approve of the procedure. Once a person dies, their “solid organs” — heart, lungs, kidneys, intestines, liver and pancreas — can save the lives of seven or eight people. Tragically, though, nearly 6,600 people died last year while awaiting a transplant — that’s 18 people a day — according to Jill Finnie, a spokeswoman with the United Network for Organ Sharing of Richmond, Va., where they honor deceased donors at their National Donor Memorial. You can view names of deceased donors, some as young as 3 years old, on their website at UNOS.org.
Why is it that more than half of all Americans are not organ donors? “There are several common misconceptions,” said Aisha Huertas, a spokeswoman with Donate Life America of Richmond. “The main one is that people believe that if they’re in an emergency situation, doctors won’t try as hard to save their lives if they’re organ donors. This, of course, is erroneous.”
Another reason, said Huertes, is that “people believe they’re too old or too sick. We take everyone,” she said.
Imagine the shock and horror of a Doylestown couple when they learned that the first of their two children needed a liver transplant. When little Nadia was born in 2005, she had a rare liver disease called biliary atresia. The only way to save her life was to have a liver transplant.
In 2007, when Nadia was a year and half, she had her life-saving operation at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her deceased donor was only 19. Nadia received the left segment of her liver, said her mom, Allison Kadi.
“Nadia is doing great today,” said Kadi. “She’s in kindergarten and is a very socially outgoing child.”
Kadi is often asked how she had the strength to endure such stressful times. “When you go through it,” she said, “you have no choice but to be strong.”
A number of famous people have had organ transplants, which help sway public opinion that’s it’s not only OK but even noble to be an organ donor. Recipients include a new heart for the late filmmaker Robert Altman; a new kidney for playwright Neil Simon, donated by his publicist; and another living kidney donation by former Dallas Cowboy Everson Walls to his teammate, the late Ron Springs, who suffered from diabetes, the main reason for kidney transplants.
Transplant recipients live longer if they receive their organ from a living donor rather than a deceased one. Should little Nadia’s liver fail, her father, Joe, who is a good match, may be able to donate a portion of his own liver.
Make a New Year’s resolution: Investigate becoming an organ donor. View the Donate for Life website at DonateLife.net, or call them at 804-377-3580. Think of the lives you’ll save.
Ruth Z. Deming is a psychotherapist and director of New Directions Support Group of Abington. The group helps people with depression and bipolar disorder and their loved ones. Visit NewDirectionsSupport.org.

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