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Have a heartThe National Organ Donor’s day was celebrated recently in Santa Cruz.
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 | | Many transplant patients go on to lead a full life like these track competitors in Canada |
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07.07.2005 - A conference organized by the council and ERTE (the association of people with kidney related illnesses) gave the opportunity for several people to relate the drastic changes that their lives underwent after receiving a new organ. One father, Pedro Benítez, told expectant listeners how he had had problems with his heart since he was ten years old. After describing the difficulties that he had with dealing with even every day tasks, he went on to explain how he can now enjoy activities with his daughter, who has just turned 18, for the first time ever. There were many moving stories all along the same theme – descriptions of illness, frustration and despair, followed by sheer joy and gratitude for the opportunity to live life to the full again.
In Spain anad the Canaries this is a subject which the public are becoming more and more aware of thanks to information campaigns and it certainly seems to be working - during the first five months of this year, an incredible 90 per cent of Canarian families agreed to donate the organs of their lost loved ones to help others. A total of 35 donations meant that, after years of painful dialysis, 47 people were able to receive new kidneys, another 13 had liver transplants and a further two people received a double kidney and pancreas transplant.
Spain has a well above average number of organ donations with 33 people per million making the ultimate gift and Canaries does even better with an average of 40 people per million. These are heartening statistics indeed and, no doubt, give hope to the many people that need a transplant.
At present there are 278 people on the waiting lists in the Canaries and, while the number of donors continues to rise, it is never quite equal to the number of people that need a new organ. All of us can, of course, make a difference. Anybody over 18 can agree to donate their organs after their death, either by telling their family and friends about their intentions or by filling in the cards that various organizations provide. Have a heart and give others the chance to live.
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