Transplant of Non-Beating Donor HeartRecently, on September 16, 2020, Donor Network West made the first-ever successful transplant on the West Coast with a recovered non-beating donor heart. Generally, up until recently, heart transplants are done with patients that are declared brain dead, meaning there is irreversible loss of function of the brain and brainstem. With this type of death, doctors are still able to make an assessment of the heart’s functionality before transplantation.
However, in this case, the heart was taken from a patient that passed from a circulatory death (the irreversible loss of function of the heart and lungs), rather than brain death. Transplantations with circulatory death are called Donors After Circulatory Death(DCD). DCD recovers organs from a hospitalized donor who has died because their heart has stopped, either naturally or because life support has been removed. Hearts are generally exempt from this kind of transplantation because of the inability of the heart to pump oxygenated blood after death, meaning a higher risk of damage for the organ. Yet, thanks to the portable Organ Care SystemTM, which can perfuse the heart with warm blood, reviving and keeping the heart beating for assessment and possible transplantation, Donor Network West was able to make this transplantation. Nationally, more than 3,500 people are waiting for a heart transplant and approximately 300 people die each year waiting for one. However, this procedure can increase organ donation by up to 30%. Here is an excerpt from Cision PrWeb’s article stating what Donor Network West had to say, “‘Donor Network West is proud to partner with UC San Diego Health and TransMedics as a part of the Donors After Circulatory Death Heart Trial to help save and heal more lives,’ said Janice F. Whaley, CEO of Donor Network West. ‘Through the use of this innovative new portable Organ Care System, we hope to soon be able to offer DCD hearts as a standard of care and ultimately eliminate the list of patients waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant.’” I think this is an amazing breakthrough and look forward to the new amount of lives that will be able to be saved with organ donation. This provides new hope for those on the organ transplant waiting list. I’m sure it's very difficult to undergo organ failure, but I feel this sheds new light onto their lives. Hopefully this will be able to make the agonizing pain of waiting just a little bit shorter and easier. Click here to read more about the story. Click here to register as an organ donor.
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There's No Such Thing"There’s No Such Thing" is a podcast created by the founder of This Side Up, Maddy Wang. She and a new guest each week discuss an issue that Generation Z must face. I’ve sincerely listened to every episode and every time I’m intrigued. One gets to see how the younger generation perceives the inevitable hardships that the world faces. I love it because I get to hear my peers take on everything, learn about new topics I hadn’t heard of, and realize that there are others like me that experience those same difficulties as well. episode 4. organ donationIn, "There's No Such Thing," episode "Organ Donation," Maddy brings in two new guests, Justin Wang and Megan Mehta. Justin, a heart transplant recipient, was 2 years old when he was diagnosed with Löffler (Loeffler) syndrome which caused his immune system to attack his heart. He had to under go a heart procedure, but years later, at 15 years old, he had heart failure again. At first he applied to be on the transplant list, but was denied. Later he applied again and was put on the list as Status 2. Two weeks later he got the call he had heart waiting for him and on April 27, 2018 Justin had his transplant. Since then he has written his own cook book, Justin's Hearty Recipes, and was featured in a Buzzfeed video where they make Heart-Healthy Chow Mein. Megan Mehta, also a heart transplant recipient, needed her heart transplant because when she was 8 years old she was diagnosed with an advanced stage of dilated cardiomyopathy. In 2016 she got her heart transplant and was 12 years old at the time. She has gone onto been a speaker at the National Youth Leadership: Medicine at Berkeley in both 2018 and 2019 and has spoken to over 2,000 students. Both of these amazing strong individuals continue to spread the word about organ donation. In the episode they continue to talk about their experience dealing with the before and afters of their transplant and as well as what organ donation means to them. They show their point of view on how they think organ donation is viewed through other cultures and share their thoughts on using artificial organs. They have endured so much at such a young age, but have also made a positive out of it and been so successful. Listening to their experiences and opinions have been eye opening to myself and I'm sure others. Click here to listen to the full podcast. Don't forget to register Organ DonationAbout a year ago, when I first thought about organ donation, I thought of the box you check off when getting your license. I knew if I were to undergo an untimely death my organs would be given to someone in need. Other than that I didn't know much about it and the huge impact it has on others' lives. According the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as of March 2020 there are over 112,00 patients for transplant on the U.S. national waiting list. Sadly, every 10 minutes another person is added to the list, every day 20 people die waiting for a transplant, and every year the number of people on the waiting list continues to be much larger that the number of donors and transplants. Despite those statistics, there is a way to help. Stories of hopeOne donor can save up to 8 lives! Donors are able to give someone a second chance at life! Take the Scadlock and Campbell family, organ donation united the two families with a special bond like no other. Parents Holly and Andy Campbell faced the passing of their 11 week year old son, Jake, but when they realized that the gift of organ donation could help keep another family from losing a child they jumped at the opportunity. Away in Iowa, 2 week old Beckam Scadlock was waiting to receive a heart transplant, the odds were low, but thanks to the Campbells gallant decision, became received Jake's hear. A few years later, Beckam was living his life, the two famines were able to meet and discovered something amazing. The gift of a heart had united them, but they had bonded over a song as well. Unknowingly, the two mothers both sang "For Good" to their infant sons: Holly as she said goodbye to Jake, and Kim (Beckam's mother) to Beckam after he had received his new heart. It was a touching moment that the two were able to share. Video Credit: URMC Public Relations Organ donation saves lives, and it also preserves families. here are some sources if you'd like to read more stories about the amazing effect organ donation has on lives all around us.
Don't Forget to RegisterYou can help too! Anyone can register to be a donor, help save lives by clicking here to become a donor.
About SimoneSimone Pereira, a rising senior at Foothill High School and part of the Pink Dot Club, designed This Side Up Foundation's very own sticker, click here to shop. All proceeds made from the sticker will be donated to This Side Up. Just this year Pereira began designing stickers and already has 2 different collections: "Coronavirus Collection"(all proceeds made from that collection will be donated to Doctors without Borders) and "Black Lives Matter"(helps spread the awareness of the ongoing racial injustices in our world). I don't know about you, but I absolutely love stickers. My sister and I are always on the lookout for a good one. So, if you are like me or my sister and love a good sticker, check out "artworkbysim" on Redbubble or click here.  What is the summer scamper?The summer scamper is a fun race held by Lucile Packard's Hospital Stanford. Its main goal is to spread awareness and fundraise for children's health. Participants can register for free and choose to make a donation if they'd like. Every donation you make will directly support patients and families in Lucile Packard's Hospital Stanford care who need these funds now more than ever. Summer Scamper started in 2011 and since then, participants have raised over $3.5 million! This year Summer Scamper will be virtual due to COVID-19, but the event, officially being held on June 21st, will still be hosting fun activities for all their racers to play along. Busy on the 21st? That is totally okay! Any day you can run for children's health and spread awareness. Not a big fan of running? Neither am I! You can walk around your block or take a stroll from your bed to the couch, doesn't matter, just try to spread awareness and have fun. This will be my first year participation in the Summer Scamper and I for one am so excited! It's free, for a great cause, and I encourage you and all your friends to join in as well. How do i sign up?It's super easy and takes less than 2 minutes to register. Using this link, join our This Side Up Foundation team and get excited to scamper.
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