Health class learns about organ donation

Posted January 15, 2014 at 3:04 pm

KODA Guest Speaker 12-5-13 (2).psd

On December 5, 2013, Charlotte Wong with the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates visited the Ky. Tech – Clinton County ATC Health Sciences Program taught by Billie Frye, RN and spoke with the students about the importance of organ donation.

She discussed with the students that there are currently 119,000 people waiting for an organ donation in the United States, with 960 of those persons living in Kentucky.

By 9:00 pm tonight, eighteen of those names will come off of the list, not because they received an organ, but because they died waiting for a transplant.

Wong discussed with the students the organs that are able to be donated, how the surgeries are done for organ transplants, and how people are pronounced legally brain dead before their families are approached about having their loved one’s organs donated.

The students were very engaged throughout her presentation and many expressed a desire to become organ donors.

Some of the students wrote letters to their families or the school staff explaining to them their desire to become organ donors.

Following is a letter written by Brittany Brown, senior student enrolled in the Medicaid Nurse Aide class at the Clinton County ATC. Brittany wrote her letter to Principal Stesha Flowers.

Dear Mrs. Flowers,

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to suffer in a hospital knowing you might not make it through the night? There are nearly 119,000 individuals that are waiting in the United States for a life-saving organ transplant and there are approximately 900 people waiting in the state of Kentucky. Did you ever think to yourself that you could save someone’s life? Last year over 30,968 individuals in the United States waited for a life-saving organ transplant. 6,669 individuals died last year while waiting for someone to save their life and hoping that they would get to spend time with their family a little longer. Sadly, nobody realizes just how much they can help save someone’s life. People don’t realize exactly what is important. To all the babies, children, young adults, and older people that are waiting on that life-saving organ transplant, the only thing that matters to them is to be able to live and not suffer, knowing they might not live if they do not get a heart, lung, liver, pancreas, or kidney. Think about what you could do, be an organ donor, and save someone’s life.

Sincerely,

Brittany Brown

Charlotte Wong, a representative of the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) recently spoke to Health Sciences students at the Clinton County Area Technology Center, about the importance of the Kentucky Organ Donor program.