April 12 is National Donate Life Blue and Green Day. People across the country will wear blue or green to spread awareness for organ donation. According to the U.S Government Information on Organ Donation and Transplantation, organdonor.gov, the organ shortage has only become worse. The amount of people on waiting lists for organs increases every year, with not enough donors to make up the difference. Are you a registered organ donor?
In April, more than 400 transplant donors, recipients and caregivers attended AdventHealth’s annual Transplant Reunion. A four-year-old organ recipient accepted a proclamation from Orlando city officials on behalf of the organ recipients in attendance. Ezekiel Lopez was just 3 years old when he was diagnosed with acute liver failure. After being added to the transplant waiting list, he received a new liver within days.
Ezekiel’s mom, Anyelina, describes the ordeal, “Ezekiel was a healthy boy and suddenly his liver started failing. We live in Orlando, so we were very lucky that AdventHealth had this pediatric transplant program because otherwise we would have to go to Miami. Ezekiel is doing well, and his liver numbers are perfect now.”
The AdventHealth Transplant Institute is one of the nation’s oldest and largest transplant programs. They have the best patient outcomes in the U.S. for liver transplants, performed more heart transplants in 2018 than any other program in the Southeast, and currently hold the shortest median wait time for lung transplant in the country.
Many of the innovations and programs at the AdventHealth Transplant Institute, benefiting kids like Ezekiel, are funded through philanthropy. Your generosity gives us the opportunity to save lives and this month, as well as every month, we are grateful for you.
To learn more about organ donation, visit the AdventHealth Transplant Institute online, HERE.
