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Project mission:
To improve the quality of life for transplant candidates, recipients
and their families, by providing support, advocacy, information
and guidance. Promotion of special interests concerning medical
care of transplant recipients quality of life improvement for
total rehabilitation post-transplant.
Reaching out to help those who need a transplant, by providing
financial support and patient advocacy for transplant candidates
and recipients in Romania and Eastern Europe.
Many transplant candidates and recipients find they do not have
the insurance coverage or personal savings to pay for their transplant,
pre-transplant or follow-up care and medications. Our mission
is to do whatever it takes to help those people to save their
lifes.
4Transplant is a developing not-for-profit organization, dedicated
to educating the public about transplantation and also about organ
and tissue donation. When you choose to donate your organs, you
choose to give someone else the chance to live. Share
your life, share your decision.
Thank you.
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Transplantation
Transplantation is the transfer of living cells, tissues, or organs
from one person (the donor) to another (the recipient) or from one part
of the body to another (for example, skin grafts) with the goal of restoring
a missing function.
Transplantation can be of benefit to people with a variety of otherwise
incurable problems. Transplantation of organs usually entails finding
a compatible donor as well as accepting the risks involved in undergoing
major surgery, using powerful immunosuppressant drugs, facing possible
rejection of the organ transplant, and dealing with serious complications
or death. However, for people whose vital organs--such as the heart,
lungs, liver, kidneys, or bone marrow--stop working properly and can't
be restored to normal function, transplantation of a functional replacement
organ may offer the only chance for survival.
Donated tissues or organs may come from a living person or from someone
who has recently died. Tissues and organs from a living donor are preferable
because they're more likely to be transplanted successfully. However,
organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, and eye components (the cornea
and lens) can come only from someone who has recently died, usually
as the result of an accident.
Living donors are usually family members. Bone marrow and kidneys are
the organs most often donated by a living donor. Because the body has
two kidneys and can function well with only one, often a family member
can safely donate a kidney. Portions of liver and lung tissue have also
been transplanted from some living donors. An organ from a living donor
is transplanted within minutes of being removed.
Some organs survive for only a few hours outside the body; others can
be kept cold for transplantation up to several days. Sometimes several
people can benefit from transplantation of organs from one body. For
example, one donor might theoretically provide two people with corneas,
two with new kidneys, one with a liver, two with lungs, and another
with a heart.
Tissue Matching
Transplanting tissues and organs from one person to another is a complex
process. The immune system normally attacks and destroys foreign tissue
(a problem known as graft rejection). Donated tissue must match the
recipient's tissue as closely as possible in order to reduce the severity
of rejection.
To match tissues as closely as possible, doctors determine both the
donor's and the recipient's tissue type. Antigens (substances capable
of stimulating an immune response) are present on the surface of every
cell of the body; when a person receives transplanted tissue, the antigens
on the transplanted tissue alert the recipient's body that the tissue
is foreign. Three specific antigens on the surface of red blood cells--the
A, B, and Rh antigens--determine whether a blood transfusion will be
accepted or rejected. That's why blood is typed according to these three
antigens. Other tissues carry a greater variety of antigens, making
possible more extensive matching. A group of antigens called the human
leukocyte antigens (HLA) is most important when transplanting tissues
other than red blood cells. The better the match of the HLA antigens,
the more likely the transplantation will be successful. However, experts
are still debating how much benefit results from matching, especially
for liver transplants.
Generally, before any organ is transplanted, tissues from both the
donor and recipient are examined for HLA type. In identical twins, the
HLA antigens are exactly the same. In parents and in most siblings,
several of the HLA antigens are the same but some differ. One in four
pairs of siblings share HLA antigens and are quite compatible. In people
from different families, few HLA antigens are the same.
Organ and tissue transplantation represents the best chance for a healthier
life—or the only chance to live—for many people. To ensure
that your family understands your wishes, it is important that you share
your decision to donate LIFE.
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IMPORTANT: The information provided in
this site is for educational purposes only, and it is not
intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional
medical advice. If you have any questions regarding any
information contained in this Web site and how it pertains
to your personal condition, please consult your physician.
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