BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Becoming an organ donor can be an emotional decision, an enlightening one or a little bit of both.
Those interested in becoming an organ donor can start by signing up on the registry when and share that information with family and loved ones because often times, that is who doctors and organ transplant nonprofits will be working with.
In order to be an organ donor, one must have to be on life support.
"The population of people who make it to the hospital and pass in a manner that allows you to be an organ donor, is less than 1% of the population," ConnectLife clinical services senior director, Jessica Kruszka told Pheben Kassahun via Zoom Wednesday evening.
People can sign up at 16.
Those ages of 16 to 18 would be called an "intent registry". This basically means the teen is just sharing a wish to be a donor.
Those 18 and up would be considered a "consent registry" which means you are providing an authorization for a donation to happen.
"When we have a pediatric donor, finding that perfect match can be more challenging because that recipient has to be of similar size. Thank goodness, there isn't as many children waiting for a transplant, as there are adults," Kruszka said.
According to Erie County Medical Center, in 2022 the hospital had a record breaking year and completed 148 transplants.
The hospital has 200 patients waiting for an organ transplant actively.
"It is happening everyday in the nation but in our small community[Western New York], it is so incredibly unique to be able to pay that forward," Kruszka said.
To stay up-to-date on the organ transplant system, more information can be found via the United Network for Organ Sharing website, at www.unos.org/.
