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Leni Kirkman, Julie Wiley: Pager (210) 756-1200 Will Sansom, UT Health Science Center: (210) 210-567-2579 Esmeralda Perez, Texas Organ Sharing Alliance: (210) 614-7030

Local students receive real-life lesson on organ transplantation

For many high school students, Scrubs, ER and Grey's Anatomy may be the only reference points for what goes on in a hospital. Of course, the drama and intrigue that plays out on the small screen varies greatly from reality. In an effort to help students understand the real-life drama of what happens when someone dies and becomes an organ donor - as well as how the lives of critically ill people are impacted by that decision - area high school students are headed to the Medical Center to see the transplantation process play out for real on a big screen.

Tomorrow, more than 70 Holmes and John Jay high school students will get a unique behind-the-scenes lesson on the importance of organ donation and what actually happens during an organ transplant operation.

They will no doubt be moved when the parents of Timothy Arredondo take the stage to talk about what happened after their 11-year-old son was struck down by a hit-and-run driver. They will share how making the decision to allow Timothy’s organs to be given to others has helped them cope with their personal loss. The students will also hear from Richard McDougle who is alive today, because a person he will never meet gave him life through the donation of a liver.

While the number of people in need of organ transplantation has increased by roughly 60 percent over the last five years in the U.S., the number of cadaveric organs available for donation continues to fall far short. Every day, people die while waiting for an organ transplant. Organ donations in South Central Texas have increased at a greater pace than the national average but so has the need.

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