hope into life lola lewis donation coordinator the lifesaving gift of organ and tissue donation

Hope Into Life

Lola Lewis

Donation Coordinator

The Lifesaving Gift of Organ and Tissue Donation

• Federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization

• Coordinates organ and tissue donation with 180 hospitals in Illinois and northwest Indiana

• Works with 9 transplant centers

• Provides professional, public education

• Provides ongoing support for donor families

About Gift of Hope

Our mission: to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation

• More than 120,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

• More than 5,300 people are waiting for an organ transplant in our donation service area.

• Last year, nearly 300 people in Illinois died while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

Donation is Critical

Billi, liver transplant recipient, lived and gave life to Jaxon

122,429* Waiting Nationwide

Kidney . . . . . . . . . . 100,431

Pancreas. . . . . . . . . 1,195

Kidney/Pancreas. . . . . 2,037

Liver . . . . . . . . . . . 15,735

Intestine . . . . . . . . . 268

Heart . . . . . . . . . . . 3,958

Lung . . . . . . . . . . . 1,660

Heart/Lung . . . . . . . . 53*As of 05-15-14

Illinois Donor Registry

• As of January 1, 2006

• Illinois had the largest registry of intent with over 6 million registered donors.

• Illinois is the 43rd State to adopt 1st person

• It is an all or none registry

• Old registry is not automatically rolled into the new one.

• Legally binding no additional witnesses needed.

• Still very important that families share their wishes with each other.

When is Donation an Opportunity

Tissue donation• Any patient who dies anywhere in the hospital can be a tissue

donor:

– If there is a known time and cause of death

Organ donation• Any ventilated patient in a critical care setting can be an organ

donor (can also be a tissue donor):

– If there is a declaration of brain death OR

If there is a decision to withdraw life-sustaining therapies, with the expectation that death will occur

Organ Donation is not as common as you might think…

• Approximately 10% of hospital patients die from types of injuries/illnesses that make them potential organ donors

• Donations do not occur in about 93% of these cases:– Patients deemed medically ineligible

– Family declines to give donor authorization/changes mind

– Other reasons

• Less than 1% of all patients who die in the hospital become organ donors!

• That is around 7 donors per 1000 deaths.

• Out of 37,034 hospitals deaths in 2012, there were 270 organ donors.

Why Donated Organs Are Needed

Heart: heart disease—congenital, hypertensive cardiomyopathy

Lungs: COPD, emphysema, cystic fibrosis

Liver: chronic hepatitis, liver tumors, cirrhosis

Pancreas: type 1 diabetes

Kidneys: hypertension, diabetes, polycystic kidney disease

Intestine: short bowel syndrome

Organ Viability

Heart

Lungs

Liver

Pancreas

Kidneys

Intestine

4-6 hrs

4-6 hrs

12-18 hrs

12-18 hrs

6 hrs

36+ hrs

The Organ Donation Process

How exactly does this work anyways?

• A Patient is referred to Gift of Hope.

• Gift of Hope determines medical eligibility

• Speaking with the family.

• Paperwork

• Placing of organs

• How long does this take?

Tissue Donation

Tissue Donation is Critical

Tissue Donation• 1 in 20 Americans will need some type of medical tissue

transplant during a lifetime• 900,000 human tissue (bone and soft tissue) transplants are

performed per year• Donated tissue often provides benefits that outweigh those of

non-tissue implants and autografts.• A single donor can enhance as many as 200 lives

Skin Donation

• Helps an estimated 500,000 burn patients annually• Thousands require reconstructive procedures

How Donated Tissues Are Used

Cornea/eye: restores sight for patients with corneal damage or disease

Heart valve: replaces heart valve for patients with heart defects, infection or damage

Bone: saves limbs, replaces joints for patients with bone cancer, bone fractures, degenerative diseases

Soft tissue: repairs or restructures injured tendons and ligaments

Vein: replaces femoral or saphenous veins for patients with vascular disease or diseased/blocked arteries—limb-saving measure

Skin: skin grafts for patients with severe burns or surgical wounds—lifesaving measure

Juvenile cartilage: promotes healing for patients with cartilage defects caused by disease, stress to knee brought on by physical activity and/or age

Adipose: fatty tissue removed from the abdominal area used to help patients with hard-to-repair injuries like bone fractures

Costal cartilage: soft tissue that connects the ends of the ribs to the sternum; used primarily for functional or structural implants in patients undergoing maxillofacial reconstruction

How Donated Tissues Are Used (cont’d)

The Tissue Donation Process

How exactly does this work anyways?

• A Patient is referred to Gift of Hope

• Gift of Hope determines medical eligibility

• Speaking with the family

• How long does this take?

The Impact of 1 Tissue Donor

43 Year Old MaleCentral Illinois Donor

January 2012

Number of lives impacted to date:

123

The Impact of 1 Tissue Donor on the Nation

• More than 5,700 letters to families each year

• More than 1,000 inquiries each year– Donor families

– Transplant recipients

– Transplant coordinators

• Quarterly Donor Family Advisory Council meetings

• Annual remembrance ceremony

• Transplant centers provide recipient outcome information

• Generate letters to donor families with general information about recipients and how they are doing

• We send follow up and thank you to staff at donor’s hospital, funeral director and coroner/medical examiner (if involved)

GOH Donor Family Services

•Donation can help to re-establish control

•Donation can help during the grief process

•Donation can be a way to memorialize a loved one

•Donation can honor a loved one’s wishes

•64% of families do not remember the exact words used, but remember the care and support they received upon the loss of their loved one

•89% would donate again

Donation benefits to families

• Who pays for donation?

• Will donation interfere with my funeral arrangements?

• Will I hear about the transplant recipients and the outcome?

• Can I correspond with recipients?

Questions and Concerns

Steve’s Story…

• Call 800.210.2106

• Visit any driver’s license facility.

• Go to the secretary of state’s web site at:• www.lifegoeson.com

• For additional information about donation, visit:• www.giftofhope.org

How to Join the Illinois Donor Registry

Lola Lewis

Donation Coordinator

630-758-2873

llewis@giftofhope.org

Gift of Hope Web site (GiftofHope.org)