Family urges organ donation after losing daughter
RANDE VALLEY — Luis De Anda remembers his wife asking the doctor how their daughter could be dead when her strong heart was still pumping.
De Anda’s 17-year-old daughter, Abby, was pronounced brain dead days after the 1997 Ford pickup truck she was traveling in veered off the road near Progreso on Feb. 4, 2006.
Because her brain was no longer sending signals to her body and her organs were functioning with the help of machines, De Anda was a perfect candidate for organ donation.
That type of death occurs to only 2 percent of the population and is the only type of death in which organ donation is possible, said Tricia Barrera, spokeswoman for the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance.
That’s not a great percentage for people who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, Barrera explained. The chances of a person qualifying for organ donation are slim and there are a lot of people in need.
Nationwide, more than 107,000 people are on a waiting list — 10,000 of them from Texas. Of the Texans, about 4,000 are within a region that covers San Antonio, Austin and McAllen.
The Rio Grande Valley has about 3,000 people on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, Barrera said. The main causes are diabetes and high blood pressure, which can often lead to renal malfunction.
In Texas, half of the people waiting for a kidney transplant are Hispanic.
“We have to embrace the culture of organ donation here in the Valley, because this is an area where we need it the most, and this is the area where we have the least donors,” Barrera said. “Last year, only 16 families in the Valley consented to share their loved one’s organs.”
So far this year, families of nine people who died consented to donation, Barrera said. That number is way below the national average of 25 donors out of every million people.
MISCONCEPTIONS
Barrera believes numbers in the Valley are low because of a lack of information.
“There are many misconceptions, religion being the No. 1” she said. “People sometimes think that they won’t be able to go to heaven if they don’t go complete. But what about those who have something surgically removed or those that accidently lose a body part? Do they not get to go to heaven?”
In fact, she said, the Catholic Church sees organ donation as “an act of love” and supports awareness efforts each November.
Parishes often distribute informational pamphlets during that month and even pray for those on the waiting list.
“Another misconception people sometimes have is that doctors or first responders who see that a person is an organ donor will worry about saving their organs instead of saving their life,” Luis De Anda said.
He remembered one of his older daughters had that same concern even after the family had consented to share Abby’s organs.
“I had to remind her of the doctors at the hospital,” he said. “We saw how they worked day and night to save Abby. Her life was their first priority.”
His older daughter’s fears eased after that discussion, and all of his family is now registered to become organ donors.
GIVING LIFE
There are three ways a person can register to become an organ donor. It can be done through the Texas Department of Public Safety, through the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance or by going online to www.donatetexas.org.
However, being registered to become an organ donor does not guarantee you will become one, Barrera said. You must be pronounced brain dead by a doctor in a hospital setting to be able to share organs.
However, Barrera said, anyone can donate their tissue, bones and corneas.
“You can enhance the lives of 50 people or more when you share your tissue, bone or cornea,” she said. “That’s different from organ donation.”
Donated skin is used for burn victims, while corneas help people who are losing their vision regain it, Barrera said. You can now pick and chose what you want to donate.
Abby De Anda was able to donate her heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys and lungs.
“We don’t take every organ,” Barrera said. “We have to be very careful. We’re trying to save lives.”
Even though not everyone can donate all their organs, Barrera said, everyone can donate something.
“Babies need transplants, too,” she said. “And we can’t give a baby a grown organ because it won’t fit. That’s another misconception. You don’t have to be registered to donate.”
Because babies can’t state their wishes, Barrera said, parents can donate their organs even if they weren’t previously registered. Adults can do so, too.
“The best thing is to let your family know your wishes,” Barrera said. “I know it’s difficult for many people to talk about it, but it is very important to talk to your family because they are the ones who will ultimately make that decision.”
Under Texas law, no one can donate organs without their family’s consent, even if they were previously registered.
MIL ABBYS
For the De Anda family, the decision to do so ultimately came from the way Abby lived her life.
“She gave so much to the community,” her father said.
The standout high school athlete volunteered much of her time to a local Boys & Girls Club and even taught sports to children in Reynosa.
“We used to call her Mil Abbys — meaning one thousand Abbys — because she was always all over the place,” her father said with a smile. “She grew up very klutzy. It wasn’t until she joined sports in middle school that she was able to focus that energy.”
It was that athleticism that made burying those organs seem like an even greater waste.
“‘But, doctor, feel her heart. Feel how strong it is,’” Luis De Anda remembers his wife saying when doctors told them she was brain dead. “We couldn’t allow the maggots to get to them.”
Abby de Anda was able to save six people’s lives.
“In a way, she continues to live up to her nickname Mil Abbys, because those six people will continue to touch other people’s lives,” Luis De Anda said, holding back tears. “Organ donation is not about death — it’s about life.”
0 COMMENTS:
Post a Comment