Life goes on : be an organ/tissue donor

Ebony, July, 2004 by Kevin Chappell

EVERY 13 minutes someone, somewhere in the United States is added to the nation's organ transplant waiting list, a list that already includes more than 84,000 people waiting for a heart, kidney, lung, pancreas, liver, intestines, cornea, skin, tendon, bone, or heart valve transplant that will save their lives.

Every day 15 Americans die waiting for an organ transplant. Blacks--a group nearly twice as likely as Whites to suffer from diabetes and hypertension, which can lead to the need for an organ transplant if not properly treated--make up nearly one-third of those on the organ transplant waiting list. Blacks make up 40 percent of all cases of renal failure in the United States, the leading cause of kidney transplants.

But with the need so great in the African-American community, Blacks represent only about 11 percent of organ donors. And while donations among African-Americans were up 12 percent in the first 11 months of 2003, the shortage of donations among Blacks continues to raise extreme concern within the medical community. Attempts to increase Black organ donation through the use of the Internet and education programs in the workplace and in churches haven't produced the hoped-for increase in donors.

The result? Nine out of 10 African-Americans who undergo organ transplant surgery receive an organ from a Caucasian donor. The problem? Transplant success rates increase dramatically when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic and racial group. For many organs, only the blood type needs to match between the donor and recipient. In 2003, Blacks accounted for 35 percent of the people waiting for kidney transplants, but received only about 20 percent of all available kidneys, and had to wait, on average, twice as long as Whites for transplants. Whites, who received 64 percent of the kidney transplants, are more likely to find an appropriate match, or receive a kidney from a relative.

One of the most successful organ donation programs is sponsored by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, whose sister, Doris Ivy, is an organ recipient. Under White's plan, everyone applying for or renewing a driver's license or ID card is asked if he or she would like to join the donor registry as a potential donor. Illinois has the largest state registry in the nation with nearly 6 million participants. Secretary White says there is an urgent need for Black leaders and organizations to enlist in the fight.

"African-Americans need to donate more because our need is so much greater," says Dr. Charles Modlin, staff surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, director of the foundation's Minority Men's Health Center, and one of the country's top kidney transplant surgeons. "When it comes to transplantation, genetic makeup plays a critical role in matching a person with an organ. Black's immune systems react differently than Whites" so Blacks as a result experience fewer complications when they receive organs from a Black donor.

So why are Blacks failing short in such a critical need as organ donation?

National organizations like MOTTEP Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, are doing research to identify why Blacks are taking invaluable organs to the grave with them. In some cases, African-Americans simply don't want to donate. In other cases, it's a lack of education or distrust about the donor process that keeps Blacks from signing organ donation cards. While there is a need to re-examine the current system to ensure fairness, this reexamination shouldn't keep Blacks from donating. Dr. Clive Callender, founder of National MOTTEP, says, "It is absolutely essential to educate the community on the continuing need for organ/tissue donors, living and cadaveric, the donation process and the diseases and behaviors which lead to the need for transplantation."

The need for organs among Black celebrities has made national headlines. Singer Barry White died while waiting for a kidney. Football great Walter Payton died while waiting for a liven

Rap star Nelly used his celebrity stature to talk about the importance of organ donation after his sister, Jacqueline Donahue, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in 2001. After she was told that she needed a bone marrow transplant, Nelly spearheaded a nationwide bone marrow awareness and registration drive. According to the National Bone Marrow Registry, the drive was the most successful Black bone marrow registry in history, with more than 1,025 new donors registered, including Nelly and other family members.

Former NBA star Sean Elliott made headlines in 2000 by becoming the first-ever professional sports player to return to his sport after receiving a kidney transplant. Sean suffered with kidney disease for six years before he received a transplant from his brother Noel. Later NBA star Alonzo Mourning received a transplant from his cousin Jason Cooper.

The process for becoming an organ donor varies from state to state. But generally, potential organ donors need to contact an organ procurement center to register. But it's not enough to register as an organ donor. Potential donors also need to let their families know about their wishes because the family will make the ultimate decision.