Hospital urges Valley residents to become organ donors, Edinburg, Texas

Lindsay Machak | The Monitor

EDINBURG — Almost 14 years ago, Art Gonzalez hit a low point in his life. His liver was failing and he was waiting for a transplant.

"I was very sick," he said. "I got jaundice and turned very yellow."

Gonzalez, 42, was placed on the waiting list for a year before a liver was donated. He was given a second chance to live —- thanks to the family of a man he doesn’t know.

"I did make contact (with the donor’s family through letters)," he said. "I just wanted to let them know how grateful I was for the liver they donated. I have a family and they helped me to be with my kids."

Currently, Gonzalez is happy and healthy. He works as a science teacher in Mission and has three children.

He said he’s lucky. He’s heard the stories of those who have died waiting for organs.

"I’m not going to let this new life go to waste," he said.

There are more than 10,000 people statewide currently waiting for an organ, a Texas Organ Sharing Alliance spokesperson said.

But in order to save those people’s lives, others need to sign up to become donors, TOSA spokesperson Aissa Garza said.

"Here in south Texas, we have over 4,000 people waiting for a kidney," she said. "People just don’t understand the importance of organ donation."

Doctors Hospital at Renaissance will host a registration event Tuesday to encourage people to become donors.

The event is being held as part of TOSA’s "Sav8" campaign. The initiative aims to register 500,000 central and south Texas residents to become donors by next October.

The heart, liver, two kidneys, two lungs, pancreas and small bowel are the eight organs that can be donated to potentially save a life, Garza said.

One part of Garza’s job is approaching families when they lose a loved one to ask if they would like to donate the organs.

"We are the voice for the people who need organs," she said. "I know it’s hard because these people have just lost somebody and they’re dealing with that. We can’t force them to donate, but we have to at least ask because they could give somebody else their life back."

Criselda Rincon-Flores’ family was approached by a TOSA representative last year when her father died.

At first, Rincon’s mother was firmly against donating her husband’s organs. But after talking it over, Rincon, her mother and brother, decided it would be best to go ahead and give their consent.

"People need to understand the importance of giving," she said. "(I would ask them) not to be selfish. If God gave his life for us, why not help others? It’s giving people a second shot at life."

After her father’s death, five people received organs from him. His liver recipient just happens to work with Rincon. Almost every day Rincon sees her father "living on" through her coworker.

"My dad used to be a very happy person," she said. "And when I see her she has that vibe about her. She got that from him."

Rincon, 28, said even though she tragically lost her father in an accident, she knew he would approve of giving away his organs in order to save others because he was so caring.

"My dad was my childhood hero," she said. "He was the man I looked up to — the man I wanted my husband to be like and now he’s my hero forever.