Organ donors are poised to give others the gift of life

Tis the season to count our blessings and give. We have all been blessed, but sometimes it’s difficult to see, especially when we are grieving the loss of a loved one or grappling with illness or injury.

In Hawaii an estimated 400 patients are in end-stage organ failure waiting for a lifesaving organ. Nationally there are an estimated 116,000 patients in the same condition. Millions more are in need of life-restorative tissue for abdominal repairs, burn dressings, bone to repair fractures and prevent amputation, heart valves and veins for cardiac bypass surgery, corneas to end blindness, and the list goes on.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the need for organs is growing almost twice as fast as the supply. More than 1 million tissue transplants are performed each year, and the surgical need for tissue continues to rise.

The cost of a transplant is about $100,000, according to the 2012 U.S. Renal Data System Annual Report. Medicare spends on average about $18,000 a year for immunosuppressive drugs for a kidney transplant recipient compared with about $70,000 to $87,000 for a year of dialysis. Kidney transplantation remains the most desirable and cost-effective form of kidney replacement therapy. In addition, kidney transplantation also provides the opportunity to improve patient health and quality of life, and eliminates the costs associated with dialysis.

To address this critical need, Legacy of Life Hawaii, the state’s only federally designated organization authorized to recover organs and tissue for transplant, set out to revitalize its organ and tissue recovery programs and significantly increase the number of organ/tissue donors statewide.

In May, Legacy of Life Hawaii appointed Gerry Estrella, M.D., as director of its new tissue program and expanded its staff to include more clinical technicians and family services counselors.

"The altruistic gifts of lifesaving and life-enhancing organs and tissues restore not only the recipients’ basic function of living, but also provide a renewal of their zest for life," Estrella said. "As their quality of life improves, recipients are given a second chance — as they are liberated from the confines of significant physical limitations — and can become productive members of society again."

To safeguard the transport of recovered tissues and organs from donors, the organization launched a campaign to raise money for a medical transport van. The van, which hit the streets of Oahu in October, also serves as a moving billboard to encourage organ/tissue donation with the message "It’s the right thing to do" wrapped around its exterior.

The organization embarked on a bold, new community outreach campaign to encourage organ donation at Department of Motor Vehicle sites statewide. The campaign targets new and renewing drivers and features posters of local figures and celebrities urging drivers to sign up as organ donors. The group also set up kiosks at DMV offices in Wahiawa, Dillingham, Kapolei and Koolau to provide information on organ and tissue donation.

Additionally, Legacy of Life Hawaii’s Family Services team offers immediate support to donor families in the hospital and ongoing support through its aftercare program. So far this year, nearly 60 percent of organ/tissue donation opportunities have been authorized either by the individual’s donor designation (primarily through the DMV) or family consent.

As 2012 draws to a close, Legacy of Life Hawaii reports a 50 percent increase in tissue recovered and a 15 percent increase in organs recovered. That means more lives saved and many more restored through the gift of organ and tissue donation. Counted among our blessings in this season of giving are the organ and tissue donors and their families who demonstrated so clearly that life is worth giving.

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Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.