Organ and tissue donation offers
a second chance at life

By Sandra Iruegas

The decision to become an organ and tissue donor affects not only the lives of the potential donor and recipient, but that of their families as well. Factors such as the family’s emotional state and religion can come into play when the issue arises. A family's decision to honor the choice of a deceased loved one to be an organ donor may often be clouded by grief, but it may be clouded, too, by several misperceptions.
It is essential that an individual’s decision to become an organ donor be shared with the family. Signing a donor card is not enough. People who choose to become organ donors should discuss that choice with their family now, to help them carry out that wish later. Donors can gain comfort knowing that they have relieved their family of the burden of making that decision.
Potential recipients are matched to organs based on a number of factors including blood and tissue typing, medical urgency, time spent on the waiting list, and geographical location. Organ and tissue donation is considered only after all efforts to save the donor’s life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared, or is imminent. Organ recovery coordinators will always explain the donation options to the donor’s family before requesting their permission to recover the organs for transplantation. They will never go against the wishes of the family. The family of the donor can request that the donor remain anonymous, but in many cases, when both the recipient and the donor or donor family agree, they can exchange names.
Living donors are possible and on the increase. The most common organs donated by living donors are kidneys. Other organs that can be donated by living donors include partial liver, lung, and pancreas.
According to organ recipient Gerardo Pinzon, director of the Laredo office of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, religion plays a role in the decision to be a donor.
A recent Gallup Survey found that 29 percent of Americans do not know if their religion has law or doctrines governing organ donation. Most religious groups support organ and tissue donation and transplantation so long as it does not impede the life or hasten the death of the donor.
The Baptist Church generally believes that organ and tissue donation and transplant are ultimately matters of personal conscience. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, adopted a resolution in 1988 encouraging physicians to request organ donation in appropriate circumstances. The resolution also encourages voluntarism regarding organ donations in the spirit of stewardship, compassion for the needs of others, and alleviating suffering.
Catholics view organ and tissue donation as an act of charity and love. Organ donation is something positive that can result from tragedy and a way for families to find comfort by helping others. Pope John Paul II has stated, "The Catholic church would promote the fact that there is a need for organ donors and that Christians should accept this as a ‘challenge to their generosity and fraternal love’ so long as ethical principles are followed."
Martha Garza, wife and mother of three children, made the ultimate act of charity and love by donating her left kidney to her older brother, Ricardo Rodriguez, in June 1999. Garza has worked in the emergency room for 28 years and has always believed in organ donation. "I firmly believe in donation. It truly is the gift of life," she said. Ricardo was on the kidney transplant waiting list for two years. All four brothers and sisters were tested for a kidney match and Garza was the only 100 percent match.
"I must admit I was scared because I have a husband and three children who did not want me to go through with the donation, because they were concerned for my health," Garza said. "I knew it was something I had to do. I never doubted that I would go through with it. I wish more people would understand that donating an organ can offer someone else a chance of life. My brother is off dialysis, happily married, and has continued his life as a teacher assistant in Eagle Pass. Donating my kidney to my brother was what I was supposed to do. I gave him a gift, the gift of life."
A religion that is thought to be against transplantation because of its opposition to blood transfusions is Jehovah’s Witnesses. They do not oppose donating or receiving organs. However, all organs and tissues must be completely drained of blood before transplantation. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not encourage organ donation but believe it is a matter for individual decision, according to the Watch Tower Society, the legal corporation for the religion.
Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) do not oppose organ donation. They believe that the decision to donate is an individual one made with family, medical personnel, and prayer.
"Besides not having clarity about their own religion’s views on organ donation, there are several other reasons organs do not get donated," said Pinzon. "Some survivors of the loss of a loved one believe that it is expensive. Some believe that they don't want the deceased to suffer any more. But the most prevalent reason is that the deceased did not tell their loved ones of their intention to donate. Which is unfortunate if you understand that there aren't enough organs to go around. In Laredo we are donating one or two a year when there are at least 70 people in Laredo on a waiting list." The recipient of a kidney transplant in the summer of 1992, Pinzon lost the use of that kidney in 1999 and is now on dialysis and once again on the national waiting list.
Every 13 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list, and an average of 15 people per day die due to a lack of available organs for transplant.
The Gonzalez family of Laredo understands firsthand the difference an organ and tissue donor can make to a family. In April 2001, their two-year-old son Diego received a heart transplant.
"Every day my family and I thank God for that precious child whose heart Diego received," said Diego's mother, Rochelle Gonzalez. "We have a little boy who can jump and smile. Never underestimate the power of giving the gift of life. It is the most precious of all."
Another kidney recipient, 36-year-old Marcelino Rodriguez, husband and father of three, can also look forward to more years of life thanks to an anonymous donor. He was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant for three years. Owner of a successful signs and graphics business in Laredo, he is a member of the Laredo Alliance for Organ Donation. He hopes more people become organ donors. Together with the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, Rodriguez continues to educate Laredoans about organ and tissue donation.
"The transplant has given me the opportunity to continue to do what I always did," Rodriguez said. "Due to this donation I will have the chance to see my children graduate, which is one of my biggest wishes."
"That first kidney bought me time," said Pinzon. "Seven years in which I became a professional engineer, earned two masters degrees, was gainfully employed and earned promotions, married, and started my family."
Organs that can be transplanted are the heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, and intestines. Tissues that can be recovered for transplantation include corneas, heart valves, bone, skin, veins, and tendons.
For more information about organ and tissue donation, call the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance at 1-877-DONOR-877.