Organ Donation Education at Emmanual Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York

By CHANNON HODGE, CUNY J-School

Two weeks ago, 11-year-old Shannon Tavarez became one of the estimated 17 people in this country who die every day while waiting for an organ donation. During a presentation atEmmanuel Baptist Church on Nov. 14, Dr. Monica Sweeney used Ms. Tavarez’s story to demonstrate the dire need for African Americans to become organ donors. The event was part of Donor Sunday, a national interfaith effort to increase awareness about the shortage of organ donations in the United States. It was sponsored by the Brooklyn Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, a national African American women’s volunteer group.

As a child of African and Latin descent, Ms. Tavarez, who performed on Broadway in the Lion King, needed a bone marrow transplant from someone with a similar DNA pattern, which was more likely to come from someone of her own race. African Americans account for about 30 percent of people on the waiting list for organ donations, but are far less likely to donate than other ethnic groups, said Dr. Sweeney, an assistant commissioner at theNew York City Department of Health.

“There are so many of us who have not known what the facts are,” said Dr. Sweeney, who added that smokers and older people can even make donations in special cases. “We don’t have to wait until we die. Each one of us has a role in organ and tissue donation.”

Audience members gasped when Dr. Sweeney told them that humans can live on less than one kidney.

Dr. Sweeney urged congregants to consider kidney, marrow and tissue donation while alive in addition to registering to be organ donor on a driver’s license.

Lisa Jackson, 53, a member of the Prime Time ministry at the church, raised a concern she said many people have about registering as an organ donor before death – that in the event of an accident, being an organ donor will compromise the way doctors work on them.

“My issue is mainly that – will they give me my best shot to live or take my organs because someone else is prioritized more than I?” asked Ms. Jackson.

“Our first obligation is to take care of the person that is right in front of us, “ answered Dr. Sweeney.

Ms. Jackson said that she was probably going to sign up to be an organ donor.