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 National Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrated annually from September 15 – October 15; National Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to celebrate a culture passionate about life and to learn how that life can be extended to other people.
HISPANIC DONOR AWARENESS FACT SHEET
- In 2007, 3678 Hispanic patients received organ transplants in the US; 68 Hispanic patients received an organ transplant in Colorado.
- At this time, there are 16,263 patients of Hispanic origin waiting for organ transplants in the United States.
- There are 382 Hispanics waiting for organ transplants in Colorado alone, representing 21.5% of all those waiting for organs.
- The 382 Hispanics in Colorado waiting for a transplant include 256 waiting for a kidney, 107 waiting for a liver, 11 for a lung, 9 for a heart, and 2 for a pancreas.
- To learn more: In Spanish: donevida.org, or in English: donatelife.net
- To sign up to become a donor in Colorado, visit: coloradodonorregistry.org
- To sign up to become a donor in Wyoming, visit: wyomingdonorregistry.org
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While over 3,600 Hispanics received the gift of life through organ and tissue donation in 2007, strongly held myths regarding donation continue to be the major barrier preventing many Hispanics from becoming organ and tissue donors.
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, Donate Life America focuses on providing the facts and dispelling the myths about organ and tissue donation.
STATISTICS:
- The Hispanic community is in desperate need of organ and tissue donors. As of March 2008, there were over 16,000 Hispanics registered on the U.S. transplant waiting list. In Colorado as of March 2008, 1771 people are waiting for transplants and 382 are Hispanic.
- While the most recent U.S. census listed Hispanics as approximately 14% of the total U.S. population, over 16% of the 98,000 people awaiting organ and tissue transplants are Hispanic. In Colorado, over 20% of those awaiting transplants are Hispanic.
- Hispanics are three times more likely than Caucasians to suffer from end stage renal disease and diabetes.
- Approximately 47% of all those awaiting organ transplants are minorities.
FACTS:
- Emergency room doctors are there to save lives and will do everything possible to save one’s life.
- One’s celebrity or financial status does not play a part in the decision. Organs are allocated based on a variety of medical and logistical factors including blood type, size of organ needed, waiting time, distance between donor & recipient, degree of immune system match and medical urgency, among others.
- All major religions, including Catholicism, support organ and tissue donation as one of the highest expressions of compassion and generosity. Pope Benedict has stated that to give one's organs means to give expression to a true, deep act of love for one's neighbor.
- Donation does not interfere with funeral arrangements. A donor can have an open casket funeral.
- Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age or medical history. The good news is that a single donor can save or improve the lives of more than 50 people.
Learn more at www.donatelife.net.
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