KentuckyOne Health Encourages Kentuckians to Join Organ Donor Registry - Archived

 

 

 

 

 

Louisville, KY (March 31, 2014) – April is National Donate Life Month and Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville Hospital, all part of KentuckyOne Health, are encouraging Kentuckians to give the gift of life and register to be an organ donor. 

 

According to Donate Life, every 10 minutes in America, another name is added to the National Transplant List and on average, 18 people die every day from the lack of available organs for transplant. 

 

More than 120,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant, which includes nearly 1,000 in Kentucky alone according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

 

Andreas Price has received not one, but two kidney transplants from Jewish Hospital. Price was diagnosed with chronic glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease, when he was 15.  He had his first kidney donation in 1989.  After 13 years, his donated kidney began to lose function and he was once again placed on dialysis. He waited nearly six years for his second kidney transplant, which came thanks to the selfless act of compassion and generosity of the Murray family.

 

Tracey Murray was 41 when she died of a brain aneurysm.  She collapsed at University of Louisville Hospital while visiting her niece who was injured in an automobile accident. One of five girls, Murray had made her wish to be an organ donor known to her sisters.

 

Price recently had the opportunity to meet Murray’s family, including her two sons and four sisters and personally say “thanks” for giving him the gift of life.

"I wake up every morning celebrating the second chances I have been given and the opportunities I have to make a difference in other people's lives," Andreas said. “I really wanted the Murray family to see how their gift is being used, continuing to give me the life I’m trying to make the most of.”

 

“Tracey was a giving person all the way to the end,” said Sherri Williams, Murray’s sister.  “We’re glad that we can give another person life.”

 

Since 1988, nearly 7,000 Kentuckians have received a second chance at life thanks to an organ transplant. KentuckyOne Transplant Care is nationally recognized for performing Kentucky’s first adult heart, pancreas, heart-lung and liver transplant. In addition, the KentuckyOne transplant team was also responsible for the first minimally invasive kidney donation in Kentucky.

 

“In 2013, almost 29,000 lifesaving transplants took place,” said Michael Marvin, M.D., director of transplantation at Jewish Hospital and associate professor of Surgery at the University of Louisville.  “Unfortunately, due to the lack of donated organs, many people never receive the organ they need and die waiting.”

 

The vast majority of organ donation occurs after a person experiences brain death. After every attempt to save the individuals life has failed, doctors will check to see if the person has stated their willingness to donate. Deceased donors can give kidneys, pancreas, liver, lungs, heart and intestinal organs, as well as soft tissue, corneas and more.  One donor can provide organs, bone and tissue for nearly 50 people in need.

 

Some organs can also be given from living donors, including a kidney, or a portion of the liver, lung, intestine, or pancreas.

 

“Organ transplantation is truly a miracle of modern medicine, granting new life and hope to thousands of people experiencing organ failure,” said Dr. Marvin. “We each have the opportunity to make one of these miracles happen.  Join the organ donor registry and discuss your wishes with your family, friends and physician.”

 

In Kentucky, lifesaving transplants are facilitated by Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), a statewide educational and organ and tissue procurement agency. The, non-profit organization works throughout the state to evaluate organ/tissue donor suitability; coordinate organ and tissue recovery; manage organ placement; provide family support and aftercare; educate hospital staff members and facilitate public education.

 

While 90 percent of Americans support organ donation, only 30 percent know the process of becoming a donor. For those in Kentucky, it’s as easy as visiting DonateLifeKY.org or signing up when you renew your driver’s license.  Currently 43 percent of Kentuckians are registered organ donors. By signing up for the registry, you enable your family to know your choice to save and enhance lives through organ donation.

 

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is the largest health system in Kentucky.

 

 

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 Gift of Life Fact Sheet

 

More than 120,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant, which includes nearly 1,000 in Kentucky alone.

 

Every 10 minutes in America, another name is added to the National Transplant List and on average, 18 people die every day from the lack of available organs for transplant. 

 

Since 1988, nearly 7,000 Kentuckians have received a second chance at life thanks to an organ transplant.

 

KentuckyOne Health Transplant Care is nationally recognized for performing Kentucky’s first adult heart, pancreas, heart-lung and liver transplant, as well as the first minimally invasive living kidney donation in Kentucky.

 

Deceased donors can give kidneys, pancreas, liver, lungs, heart and intestinal organs, as well as soft tissue, corneas and more. 

 

One donor can provide organs, bone and tissue for nearly 50 people in need.

 

Some organs can also be given from living donors, including a kidney, or a portion of the liver, lung, intestine, or pancreas.

 

In 2013, almost 29,000 lifesaving transplants took place.

 

While 90 percent of Americans support organ donation, only 30 percent know the process of becoming a donor.

 

For those in Kentucky, signing up to be an organ donor is as easy as visiting DonateLifeKY.org or signing up when you renew your driver’s license.  By signing up for the registry, you enable your family to know your choice to save and enhance lives through organ donation.

 

Currently 43 percent of Kentuckians are registered organ donors.