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)