Hope Into Life Lola Lewis Donation Coordinator The Lifesaving Gift of Organ and Tissue Donation
Jan 19, 2016
Hope Into Life
Lola Lewis
Donation Coordinator
The Lifesaving Gift of Organ and Tissue Donation
• Federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization
• Coordinates organ and tissue donation with 180 hospitals in Illinois and northwest Indiana
• Works with 9 transplant centers
• Provides professional, public education
• Provides ongoing support for donor families
About Gift of Hope
Our mission: to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation
• More than 120,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
• More than 5,300 people are waiting for an organ transplant in our donation service area.
• Last year, nearly 300 people in Illinois died while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
Donation is Critical
Billi, liver transplant recipient, lived and gave life to Jaxon
122,429* Waiting Nationwide
Kidney . . . . . . . . . . 100,431
Pancreas. . . . . . . . . 1,195
Kidney/Pancreas. . . . . 2,037
Liver . . . . . . . . . . . 15,735
Intestine . . . . . . . . . 268
Heart . . . . . . . . . . . 3,958
Lung . . . . . . . . . . . 1,660
Heart/Lung . . . . . . . . 53*As of 05-15-14
Illinois Donor Registry
• As of January 1, 2006
• Illinois had the largest registry of intent with over 6 million registered donors.
• Illinois is the 43rd State to adopt 1st person
• It is an all or none registry
• Old registry is not automatically rolled into the new one.
• Legally binding no additional witnesses needed.
• Still very important that families share their wishes with each other.
When is Donation an Opportunity
Tissue donation• Any patient who dies anywhere in the hospital can be a tissue
donor:
– If there is a known time and cause of death
Organ donation• Any ventilated patient in a critical care setting can be an organ
donor (can also be a tissue donor):
– If there is a declaration of brain death OR
If there is a decision to withdraw life-sustaining therapies, with the expectation that death will occur
Organ Donation is not as common as you might think…
• Approximately 10% of hospital patients die from types of injuries/illnesses that make them potential organ donors
• Donations do not occur in about 93% of these cases:– Patients deemed medically ineligible
– Family declines to give donor authorization/changes mind
– Other reasons
• Less than 1% of all patients who die in the hospital become organ donors!
• That is around 7 donors per 1000 deaths.
• Out of 37,034 hospitals deaths in 2012, there were 270 organ donors.
Why Donated Organs Are Needed
Heart: heart disease—congenital, hypertensive cardiomyopathy
Lungs: COPD, emphysema, cystic fibrosis
Liver: chronic hepatitis, liver tumors, cirrhosis
Pancreas: type 1 diabetes
Kidneys: hypertension, diabetes, polycystic kidney disease
Intestine: short bowel syndrome
Organ Viability
Heart
Lungs
Liver
Pancreas
Kidneys
Intestine
4-6 hrs
4-6 hrs
12-18 hrs
12-18 hrs
6 hrs
36+ hrs
The Organ Donation Process
How exactly does this work anyways?
• A Patient is referred to Gift of Hope.
• Gift of Hope determines medical eligibility
• Speaking with the family.
• Paperwork
• Placing of organs
• How long does this take?
Tissue Donation
Tissue Donation is Critical
Tissue Donation• 1 in 20 Americans will need some type of medical tissue
transplant during a lifetime• 900,000 human tissue (bone and soft tissue) transplants are
performed per year• Donated tissue often provides benefits that outweigh those of
non-tissue implants and autografts.• A single donor can enhance as many as 200 lives
Skin Donation
• Helps an estimated 500,000 burn patients annually• Thousands require reconstructive procedures
How Donated Tissues Are Used
Cornea/eye: restores sight for patients with corneal damage or disease
Heart valve: replaces heart valve for patients with heart defects, infection or damage
Bone: saves limbs, replaces joints for patients with bone cancer, bone fractures, degenerative diseases
Soft tissue: repairs or restructures injured tendons and ligaments
Vein: replaces femoral or saphenous veins for patients with vascular disease or diseased/blocked arteries—limb-saving measure
Skin: skin grafts for patients with severe burns or surgical wounds—lifesaving measure
Juvenile cartilage: promotes healing for patients with cartilage defects caused by disease, stress to knee brought on by physical activity and/or age
Adipose: fatty tissue removed from the abdominal area used to help patients with hard-to-repair injuries like bone fractures
Costal cartilage: soft tissue that connects the ends of the ribs to the sternum; used primarily for functional or structural implants in patients undergoing maxillofacial reconstruction
How Donated Tissues Are Used (cont’d)
The Tissue Donation Process
How exactly does this work anyways?
• A Patient is referred to Gift of Hope
• Gift of Hope determines medical eligibility
• Speaking with the family
• How long does this take?
The Impact of 1 Tissue Donor
43 Year Old MaleCentral Illinois Donor
January 2012
Number of lives impacted to date:
123
The Impact of 1 Tissue Donor on the Nation
• More than 5,700 letters to families each year
• More than 1,000 inquiries each year– Donor families
– Transplant recipients
– Transplant coordinators
• Quarterly Donor Family Advisory Council meetings
• Annual remembrance ceremony
• Transplant centers provide recipient outcome information
• Generate letters to donor families with general information about recipients and how they are doing
• We send follow up and thank you to staff at donor’s hospital, funeral director and coroner/medical examiner (if involved)
GOH Donor Family Services
•Donation can help to re-establish control
•Donation can help during the grief process
•Donation can be a way to memorialize a loved one
•Donation can honor a loved one’s wishes
•64% of families do not remember the exact words used, but remember the care and support they received upon the loss of their loved one
•89% would donate again
Donation benefits to families
• Who pays for donation?
• Will donation interfere with my funeral arrangements?
• Will I hear about the transplant recipients and the outcome?
• Can I correspond with recipients?
Questions and Concerns
Steve’s Story…
• Call 800.210.2106
• Visit any driver’s license facility.
• Go to the secretary of state’s web site at:• www.lifegoeson.com
• For additional information about donation, visit:• www.giftofhope.org
How to Join the Illinois Donor Registry
Lola Lewis
Donation Coordinator
630-758-2873
Gift of Hope Web site (GiftofHope.org)