Have you registered to be an organ donor?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You may think organ donations are only an option after someone passes. But there are thousands of people who can be saved by a living organ donor.

 "A kidney, parts of a liver, lung, pancreas or intestine can be donated to someone who needs an organ donation by a living donor," said Amy Reese, senior public education coordinator with Life Quest, a nonprofit organization that encourages living organ donations.

Last year there were 5,259 living donations nationally and in Florida 200 living donors.

Right now, nearly 125,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list. In Florida, that number is nearly 5,500 and more than 4,500 of those men, women and children are waiting on a kidney.

Amy said many people are hesitant to register to become an organ donor because of common misconceptions about signing up. 

Fiction vs. Fact

• Fiction: It will cost my family money to donate our loved one's organs.
• Fact: There are no costs to the donor's family for the recovery of organs. The procurement programs are responsible for those costs.

• Fiction: If doctors know that I carry a donor card, they may not make every effort to save my life.
• Fact: Emergency medical personnel have one mission -- to save your life. The discussion of organ donation will take place only after all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted. Making the decision to be an organ donor will not affect the quality of care you receive in the hospital.

• Fiction: Organ donation is against my religion.
• Fact: All major eastern and western religions either support donation or leave the decision up to the individual.

• Fiction: If I am an organ donor, then I can't have an open casket funeral.
• Fact: Organ donation is not disfiguring and will allow for an open casket funeral. The donation process will not cause a delay in normal funeral arrangements.

• Fiction: I'm too old to be an organ donor.
• Fact: People of all ages should consider themselves potential organ donors. Age alone is not a disqualification for donation.

• Fiction: You wouldn't want my organs.
• Fact: Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs can be donated. Clinically trained staff will assess which organs, if any, can be recovered for lifesaving transplantation.

Local woman donates kidney

Christy Harding, who lives in Jacksonville, decided to donate a kidney to a little girl she had never met.  A Facebook post about the 2-year-old Minnesota girl, in desperate need of a kidney, caught Harding's attention in her newsfeed.  (Harding pictured right with Arianna)

"To know that there could be lifesaving organs that walk passed you in Walmart that don't ever get to where they need to be, it's heartbreaking to think that people are suffering and dying that don't need to," said Harding. 

The little girl, Arianna Moore (pictured), was born with a rare condition that made her kidney's stop functioning. Harding was drawn to her picture because Arianna is the same age as Harding's own daughter. 

After six months of tests and interviews, Harding flew to Minnesota last summer and donated one of her kidneys to Arianna. The 2-year-old is now expected to live a long, healthy life.

Arianna's health insurance paid for Harding's surgery. Harding said there are no side effects. The surgery was a six-week recovery.  She does not have to take any medications or change her lifestyle.

"I don't feel any different," said Harding, who sat down with News4Jax eight months after the surgery. "I was meant to be her (Arianna's) donor and I have learned you have to do good, when there's good to be done and you can't wait for someone else to do it."

News4Jax traveled to Minnesota to meet Arianna and interview her parents. Here's a link to the full story.

How to register

To learn more about donation click here. You'll find a 16-page booklet that should address most if not all of your questions regarding living donation.

"We all need to register ourselves as organ donors at www.donatelifeflorida.org and share that decision with our families," said Reece.

To be a living donor in the Jacksonville area there are two transplant centers: Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and UF Health Shands Transplant Center. For Mayo Clinic, call Lisa Leath, living donor coordinator at 904-956-3249 and for UF Health Shands, call Stephanie Sharpe at 352-265-0254.