Specialty and Transplant kicks off Donate Life Month with flag raising ceremony at Methodist Hospital

San Antonio, Texas — Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant launched Donate Life Month with a flag raising ceremony aimed at raising awareness about the urgent need for organ donors in the community. Choosing to donate an organ is a life-changing decision for both the donor and the recipient. Currently, more than 100,000 individuals are awaiting organ transplants, according to Donate Life America, with around 6,000 people dying each year while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

There are two options for organ donation: deceased organ donation and living organ donation.

Deceased organ donation occurs when an organ is given at the time of the donor’s death. Individuals can begin the process of deceased organ donation by:

• Registering when they receive or renew their driver license, or vehicle registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Registering with Texas Parks & Wildlife when applying for hunting and fishing licenses.

Living organ donation is both a rewarding and life-changing experience for both the donor and the recipient. Living donation saves two lives: the recipient and the next person on the wait-list for a life-saving deceased organ. Patients who receive living organ transplants often benefit from the best quality organ, sometimes within less than a year.

“Transplantation requires the generosity of living donors and donor families,” said Amanda Weichold, Vice President for Transplant Services at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant. “It is our privileged obligation to honor these gifts of life and our team is proud to live up to this challenge every day.”

The Methodist Transplant Institute’s Living Kidney Donor program has been recognized as the number one program in the nation. Additionally, the kidney paired donation program and the Hispanic kidney transplant program are the largest in the country. Learn more out organ donation.