April is Donate Life Month and hospital holds event to raise Donate Life Flag in order to help raise awareness about organ donation
San Antonio, TX – Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant raised the Donate Life flag on April 1, 2022 to raise awareness about the growing need for organ donors in our community. Choosing to donate an organ is a life-changing decision for both the donor and the recipient. In Texas alone, there are currently more than 10,000 people awaiting organ transplants according to Texas Organ Sharing Alliance. Twenty people die each day as a result of the drastic organ shortage. One person has the power to save eight lives. Registering to become an organ donor can help give others a second chance at life.
Options for organ donation
Deceased organ donation is when an organ is given at the time of the donor’s death. At the end of your life, you can choose to give the gift of life to someone else. Here is how you can begin the process of deceased organ donation:
- Register when you receive or renew your Driver License, or vehicle registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
- Register with Texas Parks & Wildlife when applying for hunting and fishing licenses.
Living organ donation is both a rewarding and life-changing experience for both the donor and the recipient. Living donation saves two lives: the recipient and the next person on the wait-list for a life-saving deceased organ. Patients who are able to receive living organ transplants are getting the best quality organ in sometimes less than a year.
The Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant program was recognized as the largest living donor kidney transplant program, the largest kidney paired donation program and the largest Hispanic kidney transplant program in the country.
Adam Bingaman, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and Director of the Abdominal Transplant Program commented, “Kidney transplantation substantially prolongs and improves life compared with dialysis.” A primary focus of the facility’s program is to overcome barriers to transplantation that many patients face including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and social determinants. “Our program has developed unique dual expertise in both living and deceased donor transplantation, which has allowed all of our patients a better opportunity to receive a lifesaving transplant.”
It is estimated that over 37 million Americans are living with kidney disease, with over 500,000 people on dialysis. Over 100,000 Americans begin dialysis each year and approximately one out of five are likely to die within a year. Over 90,000 patients are on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, yet less than 25,000 received a kidney transplant in 2021.
“Transplantation requires the generosity of living donors and donor families,” said Amanda Weichold, Vice President for Transplant Services at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant. “It our privileged obligation to honor these gifts of life and our team is proud to live up to this challenge every day.”
To learn more about organ donation, please visit SAhealth.com/campaigns/donate-life.