Organos

Organ donation

Introduction

The concept behind organ donation is simple: remove a healthy organ of the body, such as a heart or kidney, from a donor; transplant that organ into a recipient, apatient whose organ is failing.
The operation will give the recipient a second chance at leading a healthy life.
Turning this concept into reality was one of the great medical breakthroughs of thetwentieth century. Fifty years ago, the failure of a major organ led to the patient’s death. Today, organ transplantation is a routine with a high rate of success.

Organ donation is the removal ofthe tissues of the human body from a person who has recently died, or from a living donor, for the purpose of transplanting. Organs and tissues are removed in procedures similar to surgery. People ofall ages may be organ and tissue donors.
It's especially important to consider becoming an organ donor if you belong to an ethnic minority. Minorities including African-Americans, Asians and PacificIslanders, Native Americans, and Hispanics are more likely than whites to have certain chronic conditions that affect the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver. Certain blood types are more prevalentin ethnic minority populations. Because matching blood type is necessary for transplants, the need for minority donor organs is especially high.

We were not educated about organ donation and hadnever spoken with Blake about it. After discussing this decision with our family, we knew that we had to say yes! In life Blake was such a giving person, we knew that it would have been his choice togive in order to help others. He gave his family and friends love, laughter, friendship and joy, and we knew he would want to give someone else the opportunity to have a better life.

Did you knowthat even after death, you can do good to the world and humankind in general? If you are wondering how, organ donation is the answer. Just by donating a part of your body, you can give ‘life’ to an...