|
||
|
|
|
|
(ARA) - Fifty years ago, as Ronald Herrick waited to be wheeled into an operating room, he never imagined the impact he was about to have on history. Ronald, then 21, was about to become the first living transplant donor. He was giving one of his kidneys to his twin brother, Richard, who was dying from chronic kidney disease. A team of physicians in Boston had decided to undertake a radical idea. At the time, a transplant from a living donor was quite controversial, both for its risky procedure and the new ethical questions that arose from the idea of performing surgery on a healthy individual.
Yet after lengthy discussions with clergy and medical experts, the surgeons decided to proceed. Because the Herricks were identical twins, they were considered the perfect candidates for breaking into this new territory. The organ would almost surely be compatible- which it was, making the groundbreaking procedure a success.
Since that December day in 1954, the advances in transplantation have been astonishing. Evidence of that advancement can be seen in the yearly Transplant Games that Ronald himself recently attended. Held this year in Minneapolis, this sporting event celebrates the triumph and spirit of transplant recipients. “I looked out over a crowd of 8,000 people. It was such a sight. I stood next to the doctor who performed my surgery. It was a very proud day.”
Herrick spoke to the crowd on furthering the success of organ donation and finding new donors. “Get yourself down to the DMV,” he urges. “Make sure you have it listed on your driver’s license.”
“As much as we think of transplantation as a medical triumph, it’s really a triumph of the human spirit,” says UNOS executive director Walter Graham. “We all have the power to save lives by saying yes to organ donation.”
Each day an average of 106 people are added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list. That list is maintained by the non-profit United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), based in Richmond, Va. Under contract with the federal government, UNOS maintains the nation’s waiting list for deceased organ transplants and highly sophisticated computer programs to match organs with transplant candidates in the most equitable way possible. UNOS also provides patient and public education to support and promote life-saving transplantation. In fact, each year more than 25,000 people are saved through transplantation of hearts, livers, kidneys, lungs, and pancreata. This number includes nearly 2000 children under the age of 18.
But the tragic fact remains; there are not enough organs donated each year for the people who need them. And the number of people waiting continues to grow. “Each day an average of 17 people die while waiting for a suitable organ,” says Graham.
He urges all people, no matter their age or medical history, to consider themselves as potential donors. It’s also vitally important, he adds, to discuss your decision with your family.
“Fifty years ago organ failure was a death sentence. Today we can save lives at a rate we once only dreamed of. But only if the general public knows what a precious gift they have to give.”
To learn more about organ donation visit www.unos.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content
