DANVILLE — More than 101,000 Americans are on the national organ donor waiting list. Nearly 6,000 of those waiting for an organ transplant live in the region. For some recipients, organ donation is about quality of life, while for others it is life.
For David Pennypacker, of Danville, who received a liver transplant in May 2007, organ donation brought mixed feelings. “I knew something bad had to happen to someone in order for me to live. It was a struggle to deal with this,” he said.
“Words cannot explain how I feel toward the donor and the family. To me, they were unselfish people who surely cared for others,” Pennypacker said of his liver donor and their family.
Living-donor transplants are used during kidney transplantation procedures when a healthy, suitable match is available. Not all transplants are performed with a living donor, such as liver and pancreas transplants.
Bridget Serafin, 66, of Wilkes-Barre, spent 3 1/2 years on dialysis after she had learned that her kidneys failed. While on dialysis, Serafin couldn’t enjoy a glass of water or juice because her body could not process it; sucking on ice chips was her only option to quench her thirst.
In October, Serafin’s daughter, Jill Miraglia, 44, donated a kidney. Serafin said she feels a deeper, spiritual connection with her daughter. “I have to take care of this kidney because it’s a part of my daughter. If something happens to this kidney, it happens to her,” she said.
“Science supports blood typing and matching to determine which organ is compatible for which donor, but there’s an immeasurable spiritual component that many patients, donors and donor families find during the organ donation process,” says Geisinger transplant surgeon Dr. Manish Gupta.
Become a donor
Dr. Chintalapati Varma, director of Geisinger Health System’s transplant program, encourages organ donors to talk with their family members and loved ones. “It’s important for family members to be able to ask questions and understand each individual’s motives for becoming an organ donor,” Dr. Varma said. “Sometimes listing ‘organ donor’ on a driver’s license is not enough.”
He added that:
-- Each donor can immediately impact up to eight people on the national organ wait list. Surgeons can use a donor’s heart, liver, pancreas, intestine, lungs and kidneys to restore function in up to eight individuals.
--n Up to 50 lives can be enhanced with organ donation. In addition to organs, tissue also can be used in transplantation programs across the country. For example, skin can be grafted to help heal burn victims and corneas can restore sight in the blind.
Erika Quinter, 20, Temple University student and Danville native, has been a registered organ donor since age 16. “My parents are well aware of my wishes to be an organ donor,” Quinter said. “Should something ever happen to me, I want my family to carry out my wishes without giving it a second thought.”
