Nebraska Losing the War on Live Donation

[Clark]

http://www.nebraska.tv/story/14900170/neb-losing-the-war-on-live-donation

Nebraska Losing the War on Live Donation

While you may be comfortable putting the 'organ donor' sticker on your identification card, statistics show you probably won't go the extra mile and become a live donor -- something two medical professionals at a Kearney convention hope to change this week.

"I donated my organ a year ago in April," said Lori Robinson, the school nurse of David City Public Schools.

Lori Robinson is one of many school nurses learning from Central Community College's 27th Annual School Health Conference. And she's not shy influencing other to become donors like she has.

"There are so many of us that really could sacrifice that six weeks of life," she said.

Organ donation is a top conversation among these school nurses this week because it's a huge issue, not just for adults, but for kids, too.

"There are over 450 Nebraskans waiting for an organ transplant today," said Dr. Joann Schaefer, Nebraska's Chief Medical Officer. "It's really important not only for people to express their wishes and sign up to be a donor, but to even consider things like live donation."

Schaefer's own story is a living testament to the process. A fellow doctor gave her his liver just three years ago.

"I have a right lobe from him and it's functioning normally; it's fully grown. His left lobe is back in him and is fully grown. We're both doing really well. It's been three years and I just completed my third half-marathon last week."

She's talking to these Nebraska school nurses in Kearney because nurses should know the best way to handle the hundreds of kids who go through transplants.

"You need to keep an eye out for them. They could get a fever while they're at school, or if they have medications they have to take at school, what to look for," Schaefer explained. "But otherwise, kids with transplants integrate into school just like a normal child.

And while children generally recover from transplants much faster than adults do, Lori Robinson is living better than ever.

"Being a live organ donor was the most influential thing I've ever done in my life. It was the best thing I've ever done in my life. Did I have any bad effects? Absolutely not! I'm living the same life that I lived a year ago. Yeah I had six weeks; I had a major surgery. So yes, I had to recover from that surgery. But do I have any bad effects now, do I take any medicines? Absolutely not."