BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — New York State celebrated a milestone last week: Over 3,000 lives were saved from organ donations last year.
- Governor Kathy Hochul announced that over 50% of New York's eligible population is now registered as organ and tissue donors.
- Michelle Murray donated her kidney to a stranger, Samantha McKillen, who was on the kidney transplant list for two years.
- The Donor Network reports that while 95% of Americans support organ donation, only 58% are registered donors.
- ECMC has the shortest wait times for kidney transplants in the U.S., thanks to Dr. Liise Kayler's efficient organ assessment team.
- Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the organ transplant waiting list, with 22 people dying each day while waiting for a life-saving organ.
Six years ago, Michelle Murray gave a piece of herself to a stranger.
Samantha McKillen was 19 years old when she was diagnosed with kidney disease, and in late 2017 it progressed to kidney failure.
After seeing a post for a donor, Murray stepped up to donate to McKillen who is now a close friend.
"We have done so many things together," said Murray. "Gone to Canada on purpose and once on accident."
McKillen says the reality of being on the kidney transplant list comes with a long wait.
"I only got one phone call during the two years I was on the waiting list before I got my transplant," said McKillen. "I don't know how long I would've waited if I didn't get one through an altruist donor."
According to the Donor Network, 95% of Americans favor organ donation, but only 58% are registered donors.
In reality, every 10 minutes, someone is added to the organ transplant waiting list, and 22 people die every day waiting for a life-saving organ.
Timeliness is why ECMC has the shortest wait times for a kidney transplant in the U.S., thanks to Liise Kayler, the chief of the division of transplant surgery and a clinical professor at the University at Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
"I made sure that our team would be set up to assess every organ offer and decide if it's a good match for a patient," said Kayler. "The ultimate goal is that no one waits."
Another organization pushing for more live donors is the Kidney Foundation of Western New York, which helps connect donors and recipients with resources.
Director Jeremy Morlock tells 7 News that the more people that sign up to help, the more people will be free from the waitlist.
"There are so many people on the list who will never receive the kidney that they're waiting for, and so if we can get more living donors and if we get more people to register as organ donors, we can save so many more lives," said Morlock.
Living donors are less invasive than you think; recovery can take 6 to 12 weeks.
"She needed a kidney, and I got this amazing relationship," said Murray. "Even if you don't have the same bond we share, you can change someone's life."
You can learn more about becoming a living donorhere.
