This is no Joke

Today is April Fool’s Day! [Oh, happy anniversary to cousins Gail and Bob Halpern.] But today’s topic is no joke. Last week, the lovely Leesa Thompson eased us into National Donor Month. We’ll learn more about this today.

Let’s start at the beginning. This is a relatively new celebration, started in 2003, only 21 years ago. The American Society of Transplantation explains:

“National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003. Celebrated in April each year, NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.”

The American Society of Transplantation describes itself as:

“The American Society of Transplantation is a diverse organization dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation and improving patient care by promoting research, education, advocacy, organ donation, and service to the community through a lens of equity and inclusion.

The history of the AST starts in 1981, when its charter members met and decided a separate society should be organized for transplant physicians. The American Society of Transplant Physicians (ASTP) was founded on May 10, 1982, and open to all physicians and health professionals interested in transplant medicine and biology. In 1998, the ASTP name was changed to the American Society of Transplantation (AST). Today, we are a growing and diverse organization of more than 4,200 members representing all areas of the field of organ transplantation and donation. In 2018, the Society grew, incorporating patient voice into its efforts through the evolution of its public facing Power2Save campaign. As we look to the future, our vision is bold and aspirational. While our 5 pillars remain the same, it is important that we plan a deliberate roadmap for the future.”

Donate Life America was a fount of information. One type of donation is deceased donation. I wrote about that in last year’s Christmas blog. I unwittingly called it a cadaver donation and am still apologizing for that mistake. However, I digress, so back to Donate Life America which offers more information about deceased donation:

“Deceased organ donation is the process of giving an organ or a part of an organ, at the time of the donor’s death, for the purpose of transplantation to another person. Only after all efforts to save the patient’s life have been exhausted, tests have been performed to confirm the absence of brain or brainstem activity, and brain death has been declared, is donation a possibility. 

The state donor registry and National Donate Life Registry are searched securely online to determine if the patient has authorized donation. If the potential donor is not found in a registry, their next of kin or legally authorized representative is offered the opportunity to authorize the donation. Donation and transplantation professionals follow national policy to determine which organs can be transplanted and to which patients on the national transplant waiting list the organs are to be allocated.”

I’ve written about living donation, too. Rather than list the multiple blog dates, you can use the Topic dropdown on the right side of the blog and scroll down to donation. In the meantime, I’m going to hop over to the American Kidney Fund to find out about the different kinds of living donation:

“ If you need a new kidney, consider a living donor kidney transplant. A kidney transplant from a living donor will last longer than a transplant from a donor who has died (a deceased donor). And your transplant can happen as soon as you and your living donor are ready!

A living donor kidney transplant is a surgery to give you a healthy kidney from someone who is still alive. On average, living kidney donor transplants last 15 to 20 years. Deceased donor transplants last 10 to 15 years on average. Each year, about 4 out of every 10 donations (40%) are from living donors. 

What are the types of living donor transplants?

Directed & nondirected donation

Directed donation is when a living donor gives a kidney to a person they have chosen, such as a family member or friend. This is the most common type of living donor transplant.

Nondirected donation is when a living donor gives a kidney to a stranger. This is sometimes called altruistic or good Samaritan donation and is the least common type of donation.

Kidney paired donation (KPD) and donation chains

Kidney paired donation (KPD) and donation chains can happen when a donor and recipient pair are not a good match, so they swap with other pairs to get better matches. These swaps make transplants possible for more people and have become more common in recent years:

• With kidney paired donation (also called paired exchange), two donor and recipient pairs swap donors to get better kidney matches.
• With donation chains, many pairs or nondirected donors swap donors to get better kidney matches.

Incompatible kidney transplant

Some transplant centers now offer incompatible kidney transplants when a donor and recipient are not a good match. Transplant doctors use special methods to make the recipient’s body less sensitive to the donor’s incompatible kidney. Talk to your doctor about if this could be an option for you.”

Because I’m 77, I wondered if my age would be a problem should I need a transplant. The National Kidney Foundation answered my question:

“In many cases, people who are older or have other health conditions like diabetes can still have successful kidney transplants. Careful evaluation at a transplant center is needed to understand and deal with any special risks. You may be asked to do some things that can lessen certain risks and improve the chances of a successful transplant. For example, you may be asked to lose weight or quit smoking. Only a transplant center can decide if you are healthy enough to receive a kidney transplant.

If you have diabetes, you may also be able to have a pancreas transplant. Ask your healthcare professional about getting a pancreas transplant along with a kidney transplant.”

After 14 years of writing about anything kidney related, I realize this is a pretty superficial blog about donation. Hang on, we have the rest of the month for more information.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!