Welcome back to another blog post! I wanted to take some time today to discuss how organ donation is being affected by the coronavirus.
With everything going on with the pandemic, it has made it more difficult to find donors whose organs are eligible for successful transplantation. If infection occurs within a transplant recipient, progression to pneumonia may be more common in the immunocompromised population, including transplant recipients. In addition, it is anticipated that transplant recipients have greater infectivity and greater potential spread to other individuals.
Gift of Life Michigan’s work is heavily dependent on partnership with donor hospitals, who have been under incredible pressure because of the pandemic. Access to hospitals has been understandably limited at this time, which presents challenges to monitoring potential donors and discussing the donation option with families. Gift of Life Michigan has been attempting to keep donation going as they are navigating the situation, but they're also receiving more referrals that are COVID-positive, which makes those individuals unable to donate. Because COVID-19 is an infectious disease, passing that along to an organ or tissue recipient would be a very dangerous. So, they are carefully monitoring those patients and not pursuing donation if necessary.
This is why it is still incredibly important to raise awareness of the organ donor shortage. In Michigan, there are nearly 2,800 people waiting for an organ transplant and nationally, about 113,000. Around the country, organ donation has slowed down, so the shortage may grow, which is why we need to continue to encourage people to register as organ donors. After the pandemic, people who need organ transplants will still need them.
And that's why I want to discuss National Donate Life Month! Typically, this would be the month that organ donation awareness is put into high gear with various events throughout Michigan. Every year, I volunteer at the Secretary of State during Donate Life Month, but because I can't this year, I want to use my blog to educate others about ways to get involved with the organ donation cause!
April is National Donate Life Month and today is National Donate Life Blue & Green Day💙💚 Every year, the Donate Life America and Gift of Life community honors donors and shares gratitude for the gift of life through blue & green colors.
Share your Donate Life blue & green colors and send your photos in to the national photo contest. Look above for more information! The Donate Life America judging panel will choose 10 winners who will each receive an Amazon gift card. Some examples include: dressing up in blue and green clothes, eating blue and green food, decorating your room in blue and green, dressing up your pet in blue and green to show your #DonateLife spirit!
Be sure to upload your photos to Donate Life America's Facebook Page photo contest and head to Donate Life America's Instagram stories or the link in their Instagram bio for the photo contest link to submit your photos!
Good luck!! 💙💚#bluegreenday
See you back here soon! Stay safe!