Organ and tissue donations save lives
April is National Donate Life month.
Did you know that in the United States an average of 15 to 25 people die
each day waiting for an organ transplant? It’s a disturbing number
that could be reduced if more people became organ and tissue donors.
“It’s important to know the facts about organ and tissue donation,” said
Dr. Igal Kam, professor and chief of transplant surgery at University of
Colorado Hospital. “With more than 87,000 Americans –nearly1,600
in Colorado alone – waiting for organ transplants, the need for donors
is greater than ever.”
According to Dr. Kam, one of the biggest myths of organ donation is that
if you are a donor, physicians will not work hard to save you in an emergency
situation. “This is completely false,” said Dr. Kam. “A
physician’s number one priority is to save your life. Organ donation
is only considered after you die.”
In 2000, the Colorado State Legislature created the Colorado Organ and Tissue
Donor Registry, a centralized, confidential database of every Colorado resident
who has decided to be an organ and tissue donor. Everyone who is on the registry
has elected to have all of his or her organs and tissues made available for
transplant at the time of death. The registry includes those who say yes
to donation at the department of motor vehicles when they are getting or
renewing a driver’s license.
“Since the Donor Registry is legal documentation of a person’s decision,
it’s extremely important for you to let your family know that you want
to save lives through organ donation,” said Dr. Kam. “By no means
do we want your family to be surprised by your decision or when we ask them
to provide information about your medical and social history.”
At University of Colorado Hospital, internationally distinguished physicians
performed more than 230 transplants in 2004. The transplant program began
in the 1988 and has been growing steadily ever since.
“Many people don’t realize it, but the first liver transplant in
the world was performed right here at University of Colorado Hospital,” said
Dr. Kam. “We’ve come a long way from then, and now we are experts
in performing liver and kidney transplants between a living donor and the
organ recipient.” A living donor program enables family members, relatives
or friends of a person in need of a transplant to donate an organ – a
portion of the liver or one kidney – to that person.
“University of Colorado Hospital’s Living Donor Transplant Program
was developed in response to a serious shortage of organs through long-established
donation channels,” explained Dr. Kam. “Living donation is a
viable alternative to traditional organ transplantation that can be completed
in a much shorter timeframe. We have helped hundreds of grateful families
get on with their lives through these programs.”
Anyway you look at it, organ donation saves lives. To join the Donor Registry
visit www.coloradodonorregistry.org or call 303-380-4802 or 888-256-4386.
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