On August 24th, Zachary Reyna, often pictured in his All Star baseball uniform, passed away after battling an amoebic infection. For family, friends and others monitoring this case, his passing seemed irreconcilable with the images of vitality and youth he radiated.
Because of his parents’ desire to see his vitality live on, they decided to donate his healthy organs to other children on the organ transplant wait list. Zachary’s final gift to others will directly result in saving the lives of others.
Organ donation is a gift of human solidarity and the need is great. Of the organs needed most, kidneys top the list for both pediatric and adult patients. There are approximately 54,599 people on the waitlist for a kidney. Nearly 2000 of those waiting are children.
At the same time, kidney transplants performed on children only numbered 760 in 2011, while approximately 17,000 kidney transplants were performed on adults during the same time period. The United Network for Organ Sharing reports that in addition to hearts and kidneys, the other organs that can be donated include the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines.
In addition to organs, many vital tissues are also needed including: bone, skin, tendons, corneas and heart valves. Government statistics reveal that one organ donor can save at least 8 lives and impact the health of over 50 lives depending upon how many types of tissues are donated with the organs.
Over 1,000,000 people in the United States are officially registered as an organ donor. While each day close to 80 people receive donations, close to 20 die from a lack of organ transplant. Designating donation choices on a driver’s license is the most common way to become an organ and tissue donor. Across all age groups, making sure donation preference is known to a family physician, clergy member and next of kin is also important. For those with wills, formally indicating personal intent is also a good idea.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services has educational resources available. Their site features easy links to follow to register for organ and tissue donation in any state or U.S. territory. For more information, see: http://www.organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/index.html.
