by Sandra Iruegas

The Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) has begun an extensive community awareness and education campaign in Laredo to increase organ donations for the many Laredoans who need them. To kick off this campaign, the newly formed Laredo Advisory Committee on Organ Donation held its first meeting recently to screen the new National Hispanic Campaign for Organ and Tissue Donations.
Mayor Betty Flores and Bishop James A. Tamayo co-chair the committee composed of community leaders from the business, medical, civic and volunteer sectors. Mayor Flores said that her personal commitment to organ donation is to educate everyone. "It is important for individuals to know that organ donation is the gift of life," she said.
"As a spiritual leader I want to share with the committee and the community that any major religion -- Catholic, Christian, Jewish -- believes in organ donation after death," said Bishop Tamayo. "God desires everyone to live a healthy life."
Donor recipient Marcelino Rodriguez attended the meeting and expressed his gratitude about having a second chance at life. Rodriguez, father of three, received a kidney transplant three years ago. "I am able to work and do more things than before. Thanks to my donor I am going to see my kids graduate," he said.
Issues discussed at the meeting included the importance of individuals sharing their decision to become a donor with their families. Even with a signed a donor card or indicating on the diver's license the individual's wish to donate, people must tell their families, since they will be consulted before donation can take place.
Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Thirteen percent of patients on the national organ transplant list are of Hispanic heritage, and Hispanics account for 11 percent of organ donors and three percent tissue donors. Research shows, however, that the majority of the Spanish-speaking community is uninformed about organ donation and transplantation. The information that they do have is generally anecdotal and inaccurate, preserving many myths about organ donations.
Transplants provide hope for thousands of people with organ failure. Hundreds of thousands more can be helped with tissue transplants. Unfortunately, the need for donors is much greater than the actual number of donors.
To become a member of TOSA or for more information on Organ and Tissue donation, contact Tony Ronquillo, TOSA director of community relations, at (210) 614-7030 or 1-877-366-6787; Julie Tijerina, TOSA Laredo, at 1-866-286-3421; or Shirley Wills, TOSA advisory committee coordinator, at (210) 822-2387 or shirelywill@stic.net.