| Did you know transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic and racial group?
The answer is most likely no, based on the number of Hispanic donors in Colorado. The Hispanic community is largely unaware of how organ and tissue donation impacts the community. Eighteen percent of the Colorado transplant waiting list is Hispanic, while Hispanics make up only 11 percent of donors statewide.
As Colorado celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, Donor Alliance, the organ and tissue procurement organization for Colorado and Wyoming, is taking the opportunity to share the facts about donation and encourage the Hispanic community to educate themselves, and even sign up to be donors.
There is a specific need for Hispanic donors.
An ongoing issue across the country and in Colorado, the need for donors continues to outpace the number of organs and tissue available for transplant. Each year close to 60,000 people die waiting for a life-saving transplant; 6,650 are Hispanic. The need for Hispanic donors in Colorado is monumental. Right now, there are more than 270 Hispanics on the organ transplant waiting list in Colorado and the number continues to grow.
The specific need for Hispanic donors is so great because transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic and racial group, particularly with kidney transplants. Any patient is less likely to reject a kidney if it is donated by an individual who is genetically similar.
Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal (kidney) disease than Caucasians, making the need for transplantable organs more prominent.
Donation education among the Hispanic community will save lives.
Anyone who takes the time to get the facts about organ and tissue donation and shares them with their community can help dispel myths and save lives. Last year 382 people received a life saving transplant in Colorado, and 76 of those people were Hispanic. | | There are some key facts that everyone needs in order to make the decision to become a donor:
--Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.
--Most religions support organ and tissue donation and see it as the final act of love and generosity toward others.
--If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ and tissue donation can only be considered after declaration of brain death has been documented and after your family has been consulted.
--When you are on the waiting list for an organ, what really counts is the severity of your illness, time spent waiting, blood type, and other important medical information.
--An open casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors. Through the entire donation process the body is treated with care, respect, and dignity.
--There is no cost to the donor or their family for organ or tissue donation.
With each year, Colorado sees growth in the number of Hispanic donor registrants; however, that growth doesn’t compensate for the increase in the need for organ and tissue donors. Donor Alliance is working to educate the Hispanic population on the need for organ and tissue donation by providing educational materials and acting as a resource for Hispanics on donation.
To help save lives in the Hispanic community you must sign up to be a donor. Donor Alliance encourages all members of the Hispanic community to learn more about organ and tissue donation to make an informed decision.
Editor’s note: For more information on organ and tissue donation or to sign up on the Donor Registry visit www.donoralliance.org or www.coloradodonorregistry.org. For information in Spanish visit www.donevida.org or call 303-329-4747. Your decision could save lives!
Donor Alliance is the federally designated organ procurement organization serving Colorado and Wyoming. As a recognized leader in facilitating the donation and recovery of transplantable organs and tissues, Donor Alliance’s primary objectives are to save and enhance the lives of others through effective family approach and recovery programs in hospitals, and to increase awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation. As a community-based, not-for-profit organization, Donor Alliance coordinates with over 100 hospitals, including four transplant centers, through its service area. |
