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Mayo Clinic Minute: Why more liver donors are needed

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April is National Donate Life Month. It’s observed to help raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.

In the U.S., it’s estimated that 4.5 million adults are diagnosed with chronic liver disease. It develops over time and may be caused by a number of conditions including, hepatitis, genetics, alcohol overuse or cancer. Chronic liver disease is different than acute liver disease, which can come on quickly and may be the result of an injury or a virus. Read the full story from the Mayo Clinic here.

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How organ donations broke records even during the pandemic

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Last fall, Jeff Hackman’s kidney disease turned serious. He felt tired all the time, got winded easily. Years earlier, his older sister, Dawn Martin of Marietta, made a promise: when the time comes, she would gladly donate one of hers. Within a few months, the siblings, who were a good match, passed a battery of tests, and a surgery date was set for Dec. 8.

But with omicron sweeping through the country at a dizzying pace, the siblings were filled with worry about the timing for this life-saving procedure, concerned the pandemic could delay the surgery or even thwart the procedure indefinitely. Click here to read the story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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She gave her kidney to a high school acquaintance — and it changed his life

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John “JT” Thomas was a healthy 20-year-old in 2011. But at that year’s family Thanksgiving gathering, he found that he couldn’t even finish his first plate of food. His appetite was gone — and he was increasingly lightheaded.

His physicians had a chilling response to his symptoms, one that he recalls even today: “You shouldn’t be able to walk right now.” Read the full story here.

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Cleveland Clinic experts join call to end disparities in organ donation; African-Americans face barriers to transplant list

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — African-Americans and rural Americans often face barriers that keep them off organ transplant waiting lists, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

The Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. James Young and Jesse Schold were among the experts involved in drafting the recently announced recommendations. Read more.

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COVID-Positive Donor Organs Safe; Shorter Omicron Infectious Period?

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— Studies from a special COVID-focused ECCMID pre-conference

The use of abdominal organs from COVID-19-positive donors for transplant was safe, a small study showed.

No rejection occurred among four recipients who received liver, kidney, or pancreas transplants from four COVID-positive donors, and none of the recipients acquired a COVID infection, reported Emily Eichenberger, MD, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, at a special COVID-focused pre-meeting of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Read more.

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How Will My Life Change After Donating a Kidney?

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If you are considering becoming a living kidney donor, you may have questions such as:

Will I be able to live a normal life after donating a kidney?

Will donating a kidney affect my athletic performance?

Will I need to change my diet or lifestyle after donating a kidney?

Is there anything I won’t be able to do after donating a kidney?

Thousands of people donate a kidney to someone in need every year, and their experiences have given us valuable information about the kidney donation recovery process and what life is like after you donate a kidney. Read more.

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Organ donation: how to register and have conversations with loved ones

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In January, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine announced the first peer-reviewed research outlining the successful transplant of genetically modified pig kidneys into a brain-dead human individual.

Notably, the study recipient, Jim Parsons, had two genetically modified pig kidneys transplanted in his abdomen after his native kidneys were removed. This research was successful because Parsons opted to be an organ donor, a choice that affected the course of transplantation. Although his organs were not viable for transplantation, Parsons’ body was donated to science after his family agreed to allow him to be part of the world’s first-of-its-kind xenotransplantation study with Legacy of Hope at UAB Hospital. Read more.

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Debunking myths about organ donation

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As of 2020 there were more than 183,000 people in the United States on the national organ transplant waiting list. While it can be difficult to think about donating your organs and tissue, becoming a donor can offer a precious second chance at life to many patients.

Unfortunately, various opinion polls show there is a significant gap between the number of people who support the idea of organ donation and the number of people who actually register. Read more.

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