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April is Donate Life Month, a national effort to raise awareness for organ donation and the thousands of people still waiting for a lifesaving transplant.At Nebraska Medicine, transplant specialists say the need is especially urgent for kidneys.“Right now, there’s 105,000 people waiting on the transplant list, and 80% of those people are waiting for a lifesaving kidney,” said Gina Rau, a living donor coordinator with Nebraska Medicine.That includes about 400 people in Nebraska currently waiting for a kidney transplant.Even as more people register to become organ donors, Rau said the demand continues to outpace supply. At Nebraska Medicine, patients typically wait three to four years for a kidney. In other parts of the country, that wait can stretch to eight to 10 years.For many patients, that means spending years on dialysis, a treatment that can keep them alive, but often comes with major limits and health complications.Judy Kirchmann has spent nearly three years on the kidney transplant list.Because of dialysis, she says travel is difficult, and daily life has changed.“Because of dialysis and being on the waiting list, I can’t be too far away from Omaha,” Kirchmann said. “I have traveled with my machine before. You can do it. It’s not fun.”This April, Kirchmann is spending time on Omaha crossroads holding signs and asking strangers to consider kidney donation.“Because if you don’t do it publicly, nobody knows you need help,” Kirchmann said.If you want to learn more about organ donations, or become a donor yourself, you can go to Nebraska Medicine’s website here. Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
April is Donate Life Month, a national effort to raise awareness for organ donation and the thousands of people still waiting for a lifesaving transplant.
At Nebraska Medicine, transplant specialists say the need is especially urgent for kidneys.
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“Right now, there’s 105,000 people waiting on the transplant list, and 80% of those people are waiting for a lifesaving kidney,” said Gina Rau, a living donor coordinator with Nebraska Medicine.
That includes about 400 people in Nebraska currently waiting for a kidney transplant.
Even as more people register to become organ donors, Rau said the demand continues to outpace supply. At Nebraska Medicine, patients typically wait three to four years for a kidney. In other parts of the country, that wait can stretch to eight to 10 years.
For many patients, that means spending years on dialysis, a treatment that can keep them alive, but often comes with major limits and health complications.
Judy Kirchmann has spent nearly three years on the kidney transplant list.
Because of dialysis, she says travel is difficult, and daily life has changed.
“Because of dialysis and being on the waiting list, I can’t be too far away from Omaha,” Kirchmann said. “I have traveled with my machine before. You can do it. It’s not fun.”
This April, Kirchmann is spending time on Omaha crossroads holding signs and asking strangers to consider kidney donation.
“Because if you don’t do it publicly, nobody knows you need help,” Kirchmann said.
If you want to learn more about organ donations, or become a donor yourself, you can go to Nebraska Medicine’s website here.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
