My bags are packed for a rather whirlwind ten days. I begin in New York City for the weekend…
- State of New York:
- 276 living donor transplants conducted so far in 2008
- 182 deceased donor transplants
- 9,268 people waiting on the transplant list
…then go on to Montreal, Quebec, for the week…
- Province of Quebec:
- 46 living donor transplants conducted in 2007
- 403 deceased donor transplants in 2007
- 1,106 people waiting on the transplant list
…and then wrap up the following weekend with some of my dearest friends in Iowa.
- State of Iowa:
- 21 living donor transplants conducted so far in 2008
- 29 deceased donor transplants
- 489 people waiting on the transplant list
Everywhere we travel on this planet, there are people waiting for the gift of life and brave, generous, compassionate people considering giving that gift. If I had my way, I’d meet everyone of them every where I travelled. As it is, I’ve been lucky to meet a few of them, and to learn quite a bit about the local transplantation scene along the way. This particular set of travel won’t include any stops at transplant centers, unfortunately, due to my “day job.” But as with every time I travel, I stop to do a little research about the situation there to round out my knowledge. It’s all going into a database that I hope becomes useful to the transplant community and my readers over time.
If you’re one of my fellow transplant community friends and you see me traipsing about in your town, give a wave! Better yet, send me your insights – I love to learn, the better to share.
How interesting that the percentage of living to deceased donations in Montreal is so different that the two places in the US.
How’s this for an insight – Donation does not stop with the donation. I and a fellow donation blogger Terri have been noting that our emotional state has not seemed settled even months after the donation. It’s like something happened but you can’t quite put your finger on what did.
Another blogger Cristy had the great misfortune to have her donated kidney not be accepted. She has found that the support mechanism for her and her sister has been sadly lacking.