FACTS ABOUT TRANSPLANTATION
AND ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION
• 24,866 organ transplants were performed in 2006.
• 900,000 tissue transplants were performed in 2006.
• However, more than 80,000 patients were on the waiting list in 2006.
• Every 13 minutes, another name is added to the list.
• An average of 18 people die per day waiting for a transplant in 2006 alone. For the latest statistical data, visit the UNOS.
There is a serious gap between
the number of transplants needed and the number of donors.
•Part of the reason is that people are not sharing their decision to be a donor with their family.
•Another factor is the abundance of widespread myths about donation.
- - MYTHS AND FACTS
Myth: A man went to a party and woke up the next morning in a bathtub full of ice. One of his kidneys is stolen for sale on the black market.
Fact: There is no documented case of this ever happening. First, it is illegal to buy and sell organs in the United States. Second, this is practically impossible due to the following complexities of transplantation:
Myth: Rich and famous people get moved to the top of the waiting list, while "regular" people have to wait a long time for a transplant.
Fact: Our national organ allocation and distribution system is blind to wealth or social status. Factors such as race, gender, age, income or celebrity status are never considered. MELD makes the selection process almost entirely objective.
Myth: Many people have legitimate religious reasons not to donate.
Fact: All major religions approve of donation. All major religions support the decision to donate typically considering it a generous act that is the individual's choice.
Myth: If someone is in an accident and the hospital knows they want to be a donor, the doctors will not try to save their life.
Fact: The medical team treating you is separate from the transplant team. The transplant team is not notified until all life-saving efforts have failed, death has been determined, and your family has consented to donation.
Myth: A donor's family has to pay additional expenses.
Fact: A donor's family is never charged for donation
- -
LINK RESOURCES
The Gift of Life
Life Stories from organ recipients and organ donor families. Video. http://media.health.discovery.com/convergence/giftoflife/videogallery/videogallery.html
UCLA Healthcare
Up to date information on the Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center. www.healthcare.ucla.edu/transplant
UNOS
The United Network for Organ Sharing. All patients accepted onto a transplant hospital's waiting list are registered with the UNOS Organ Center, where a centralized computer network links all organ procurement organizations and transplant centers in the United States.
www.unos.org
SRTR
The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients website provides all the information currently available in the Statistics, Reports, and Summary sections of the UNOS Transplant Patient Data Source.
www.ustransplant.org
TransWeb
A comprehensive transplant-oriented website, which provides current statistics, news items, information about donation-related issues, patient education, and an excellent reference section.
www.transweb.org
Organ Donation
Is an informational site sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
www.organdonor.gov
Coalition on Donation
Is a not-for-profit alliance of local coalitions and national organizations who have joined forces to promote organ and tissue donation and public awareness.
www.shareyourlife.org
Transplant Awareness, Inc.
(TAI) is a nonprofit corporation run and operated by volunteers who are all organ transplant recipients. Products designed to increase organ donor awareness (such as t-shirts and license plate frames) are on sale. This site also has an impressive Transplant Resource Guide.
www.transplantawareness.org
Transplant Communications, Inc.
A twice-monthly online newsletter providing up-to-the-minute information on developments in organ, tissue, eye, and bone marrow procurement and transplantation.
www.trannews.com
The Eurotransplant Foundation
A non-profit organization that aims to encourage organ transplantation. See transplant issues from a European perspective! Another comprehensive site with links to newsgroups, online journals, and other transplant organizations.
www.transplant.org
The National Foundation for Transplants
A national non-profit organization that offers a program of healthcare and financial support services and patient advocacy for transplant candidates, recipients, and their families. An excellent resource for fundraising information.
www.transplants.org
The Kids Organ Donor Educational Program
A non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of organ and tissue donation transplantation.
www.kodeprogram.org
The Living Bank International
A non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of organ and tissue donation transplantation.
www.livingbank.org
Give the 'Gift of Life' Through Organ Donation
Article by Tom Starr, founder of MFL.
trinity.ibj.com
Transplant Speakers International, Inc.
Transplant Speakers International, Inc. (TSI) is a non-profit charitable corporation solely comprised of transplant recipients and organ and tissue donor families. Since its inception in July of 1998, the organization has devoted itself to educating the public through live public speaking engagements presented from a donor-recipient perspective. Their motto is: "A name, a face, and a personality make organ donation much more than a statistic."
www.transplant-speakers.org
- - Patient Support Organizations
The American Liver Foundation
The only national, voluntary, non-profit health agency dedicated to preventing, treating and curing hepatitis and all liver diseases through research, education and support groups.
www.liverfoundation.org
CLASS
The Children's Liver Association for Support Services, is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the emotional, education, and financial needs of families coping with childhood liver disease and transplantation. It is both a service to families and a valuable resource for the medical community.
www.classkids.org
The Children's Liver Alliance
(CLA) is dedicated to empowering the hearts and minds of children with liver disease (post-liver transplant), their families and the medical professionals who care for them.
www.livertx.org
TransplantHealth
TransplantHealth is the meeting place of Healthy Connections. Click on Message Boards to read or post messages. Meet other transplant patients and learn about their experiences in Patient Stories. Healthy Connections is the best way to keep yourself posted on what other people like you have to say about the transplant experience.
www.transplanthealth.com.
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