Save A Life Today; Surprising Facts About Organ Donation
Imagine lying in a hospital bed believing you are close to death due to organ failure and your only hope for survival is for an organ donation. For thousands of individuals around the world, this is their reality. An organ transplant can not only dramatically improve the quality of their lives, but also save it, and restore hope for their loved ones too. Find out now why being an organ donor is so crucial, who reaps its benefits, how to become a donor, and most importantly, the legacy a simple, selfless act of kindness by a living or deceased donor leaves behind.
How The Recipient Benefits
There are numerous ways an organ recipient benefits from receiving an organ transplant. Besides saving their life, a recipient of an organ donation will have an increased lifespan, an improved quality of life, and will no longer have to pay for expensive, life-saving medication. One of the most significant benefits of a donation and transplant is the patient’s increased lifespan, as some patients are kept alive through artificial means, such as dialysis, ventilators, or ventricular devices.
With a fully functional organ transplanted, the recipient is given a fresh start to begin a new chapter of their life and can live for many years to come. With a donation, the recipient also will no longer need to pay for expensive treatments and medications necessary for their survival. For instance, a kidney transplant is a permanent solution that is less expensive when compared to the dialysis required to keep them alive when kidney function is compromised.
An Improved Quality Of Life
Recipients also greatly benefit from an improvement in their quality of life. For instance, a transplant can allow the patient to live medication-free for the first time since their diagnosis, as well as without the costly treatments needed to keep them alive and healthy. There are also specific ways that patients can benefit from certain types of donations. For instance, an eye and tissue donation can allow someone to see again, a bone marrow transplant can provide hope for children with leukemia, and a heart valve transplant for an individual who would require multiple surgeries to correct the problem with their heart.
Other transplants that can improve a recipient's quality of life include a heart transplant for cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, and coronary artery disease. A lung transplant can help a patient with emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, or pulmonary hypertension; a liver transplant for hepatitis or biliary atresia; and a kidney transplant for diabetes, hypertension, or polycystic kidney disease.
