The need for organ, eye and tissue donation impacts people in every community, every day, including African Americans.
April is National Donate Life Month – a time to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation, to encourage people to become registered donors, and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.
What does it mean to be a registered organ, eye and tissue donor? What does it mean to be a donor hero? It’s a journey experienced in different ways by many families.
A Donor Family’s Story
In life, Katharine Cooper was a wife, mother, teacher and trailblazer. She was licensed as the first Black person to open and operate a nursery school in Kansas City, MO. She taught elementary school, high school and Sunday school. She loved people and gardening.
Ms. Cooper was a registered organ, eye and tissue donor. When she passed away in January 2021, she was 98. Her gift of donor tissue helped burn victims.
Donna Tyler, her daughter, describes her mother as “a willing donor” because she “gave while she was living and continued to give after her death.”
Her mother, at 93, is an example that you’re never too old to be a donor. She “planted seeds” of knowledge and care in the hearts and minds of many people throughout her life.
“My grief included hope in being reminded of the things my mother taught,” said Tyler, that “each of us can bless others by saying ‘Yes’ to becoming an organ donor. I no longer mourn her death; I celebrate her life!”
Facts About Organ Donation
- The demand for organ, eye and tissue donation vastly exceeds the number of registered organ donors.
- One organ donor can save as many as eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 100 people through eye and tissue donation.
- Organs that can be donated are the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine.
- Everyone can be a registered organ donor, regardless of age or medical history.
- Committing to organ donation never interferes with medical care. If you are sick or injured, saving your life is always a priority.
- Most major religions support organ and tissue donation as a final act of generosity.
You can register to become an organ, eye and tissue donor at the driver’s license or DMV office, or at ShareLifeMidwest.com.
What’s The Need for Organ Donation in Ethnic and Racial Communities?
- People of color are 40% of the U.S population, but people of color make up 60% of the national transplant waiting list. That includes African American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander and multiracial people.
- More than 85% of people on the waiting list need a kidney, and many of the people waiting are people of color.
- The need is greater among communities of color because of health concerns like diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions that lead to higher risk of organ failure. This is due to factors like unequal access to health care.
- The availability of organs from deceased donors is an issue. Only three in 1,000 deaths medically allow for donation.
- Matching organ donations is a challenge because of matching blood types and tissue types. The odds of a good match are better when donor heroes and transplant recipients share a racial or ethnic background.
More registered organ donors who represent diverse ethnic and racial communities will give more hope to every patient who is waiting for a match.
Who’s Waiting for an Organ Transplant?
- In Kansas, nearly 500 people are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and in Missouri, there are more than 2,000 people. The wait list includes people of all ages, ethnicities and cultures.
- In both states combined, the majority of people on the wait list need kidney transplants.
- Across the United States, more than 104,000 men, women and children are currently waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. Tens of thousands more are waiting for tissue or corneal transplants.
- On average, 17 people die each day because of a lack of available organs for transplants.
- Every 8 minutes, another person is added to the waiting list.
- 95% of U.S. adults are in favor of being an organ donor, but only 60% are registered.
- For more national data, go to OrganDonor.gov.
About Midwest Transplant Network
Midwest Transplant Network saves lives in Kansas and western Missouri through organ, eye and tissue donation. Incorporated in 1973, MTN is a federally certified, not-for-profit organ procurement organization that works with organ, eye and tissue donors, their families, hospitals, and other professional partners to extend legacies, provide hope and give life. .
In 2024, MTN reached a milestone of 1,075 organs transplanted in a single year with gifts from 399 donor heroes, illustrating the thoughtfulness of people in Kansas and western Missouri.
