The Importance of Organ Donation

Organ donation is a very important topic to me the I personally hold near and dear to my heart. If it wasn't for organ donation I would not be alive today.

Becoming an organ donor can be the most rewarding thing that you can do. Most people do not know that you do NOT have to be deceased to be a donor. You can become a living donor and not only save a loved one, but you can also save someone else's loved one. What can be more rewarding then that? As a living donor you can donate any thing from your  kidney to a part of your liver (Thats what my mom did for me in order for me to still be here). She and I were the first living donation done at Emory University. While as a deceased donor you can save and enhance over 100 lives, through not only donating organs but also skin and bone marrow.

It is very easy to become a organ donor, all you need to do is go to your local DMV or sign up online at www.organdonor.gov . It only takes up to 5 minutes of your time and you don't even have to leave your house.

Here are some facts and myths that I found interesting about organ donation; 

1. There are over 119, 000 Kids & Adults at any given time on the transplant list
2. On average someone new is added to the transplant list every 10 minutes.
3. Signing your drivers license does NOT make you a organ donor. In many states, your family must give consent no matter.
4. The success rate for organ transplantation is 80%-90%.
5. On average 18 people die every day while waiting on a transplant, that is a average of over 6,500 per year.
6. The kidney is the most needed organ for transplantation.
7. A living donor can give a kidney, part of the liver, lung, intestine, blood, or bone marrow.

Myths

1. If doctors know I am a registered organ donor they wont work as hard to save my life.
2. If you are rich or a celebrity, you can move up the list faster.
3. After donating a organ or tissue, a closed casket funeral is the only option.
4. My religion doesn't support organ and tissue donation. Fact is most major religions encourage it.
5. My family will be charged for donating my organs.

Facts taken from: http://www.donatelifevt.org/organ-donation-facts

Myths taken from: http://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/facts-and-myths/

Twitter: @liver4brandon

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My Liver Transplant Journey from day one.

I have been battling for my life since I was born. I have been blessed so far with twenty-two years and my family is praying that God will once again give me another chance.

I was born with a genetic illness known as tyrosinemia, diagnosed at the age of two months. My body could not break down certain foods, and over a period of time, toxins would build up causing deterioration, and eventually, failure of my liver. The doctors kept me on a special formula, and hoped I could remain stable, but  when I was a little over three years old my liver began to fail, so they put me on the waiting list for a transplant. A month later in August 1994 my family received a call from the doctors at Egleston Children’s Hospital (now known as Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) that a liver was ready. I received my first liver transplant from a cadaver (deceased) donor. My body struggled to accept the new liver. I practically lived in the hospital from 1994 until 2000. I had several complications and had to go through rigorous testing. My body eventually won the fight and destroyed the donated liver.

In 2000 my mother was tested to become a living liver donor for me. After several tests she was able to give a portion of her liver. My body accepted my mother’s liver and I was able to live a healthy life until recently. Suddenly in July of 2011 I noticed that a hernia had formed and was concerned about the growth and size of my stomach. The Liver Transplant Team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta scheduled for me to be seen right away I was tested and on August 12, 2011 and it was confirmed that I had ascites with end stage failure. I was told that I

needed to start the transplant process as soon as possible.

Me and my mom seeing eachother for the first time after the transplant.

Unfortunately, I was informed that I could no longer be seen due to inadequate insurance. The doctors  at several different hospitals told me that I either had to be on Medicaid or come up with $200,000 cash before they could even start the transplant process. My family worked around the clock to have me flown to Illinois where I now reside. I received care from OSF a non profit organization until they they were able to raise money and get me on Medicaid. 

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Liver Transplant Q&A

So you need a liver transplant? Maybe this is your first and your scared to death. Maybe your like me and have been through this your whole life! You have a routine you have to go through EVER SINGLE DAY! Take medicine, get your blood work done, make sure you make it to your doctors appointments but make sure they don't affect work or school schedule. It can be hard at times and may  feel like some one has backed you into a corner with no escape route. At the same time it can be rewarding, because you can talk to people who are going through all of this for the first time, and you can be there "shoulder" to lean on when it gets hard.

If you have any questions about your liver transplant. Such as what you should expect or what kind of medicine you will be on and for how ever long, I have 90% of your answers. So ask them and I will answer them to the best of my ability.


I will try my hardest to blog every day after this about what im going through in route to my 3rd liver transplant, but as you all know it can be difficult at times.
 Thanks for reading and have a nice day.


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