By Estephania Baez
In the United States, there are over 123,000 people on the organ waiting list, and Californians make up an estimated 20 percent of that list. In California there are two ways to become a registered organ donor.
“For those of us who are interested in being donors, there are two ways to sign up. The first is through the DMV while getting your
Driver’s License, all you have to do is to check the little box that says ‘I want to be a donor.’ The second is donatelifecalifornia.org, where you can sign up online to be a living donor. You can also contact the Transplant Center at Rady Children’s Hospital, Scripps health centers and UCSD Hospital,” stated Transplant Coordinator Gina Mautz.
Once a person has become a donor in California, they and the potential recipient must undergo a pretty extensive clinical process to ensure that there will not be any issues or long-term complications for the recipient once they have received the organ.
“Once they are referred, we do a very thorough evaluation. We check our patients from head to toe. We want to know everything that is going on with the patient in order to determine whether a transplant is a good option for them. For example, in the case of heart transplants, sometimes there are other alternatives, such as an artificial heart, or dialysis for kidney patients, so there are several options,” added Mautz.
In California, about 40 percent of patients waiting for an organ are Latino; however, only 13 percent of Latinos are donors. The main reason for this gap is lack of education on the matter amongst this ethnic group.
Kidneys top the list, with over 100,000 people on the waiting list. Last year alone, more than 80 kidney transplants were performed in San Diego. Other sought-after organs include hearts, lungs, livers, pancreases, and intestines.
April is Organ Donor Awareness Month, so several events will be held in San Diego County to promote becoming a donor. With thousands of transplants performed over the past 20 years, Southern California’s donor programs are considered the most successful in the United States.
“It is good to have these campaigns. By celebrating donors and their families, we open the door for others to get educated and learn about organ donation. We hope that the number of donors will grow at all of our centers, and particularly here in San Diego,” expressed Ms. Mack.
The wait for someone seeking a donor is approximately six months. Once they have one, a series of studies needs to be done to ascertain if the patient would make a good recipient.
“What we do is to do an in-depth evaluation before putting a patient on the waiting list, including tests, ultrasounds, a heart catheter, blood tests, and we talk to the family constantly. And if the patient is fine by then, we put them on the list,” explained Pediatric Medical Director Rekeish Sing.
“This type of surgery is highly successful, thanks to the processes we have in place. Potential recipients have to be in good health, and donors are chosen for the quality of their hearts,” added Pediatric Cardiologist Daniel Dibardino.
According to statistics, 20 percent of the people waiting for an organ reside in California.
While the number of patients on organ waiting lists has gone up, the number of donors has gone down. In spite of this, more than 100 surgeries are still being performed in San Diego County at the four transplant centers.