National Donor Day: Urgent need for donors continues to grow

February 14th is Valentine’s Day, but it’s also National Donor Day. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services says one organ donor can save up to eight lives and there’s an urgent need for donors that continues to grow.

Michelle Linss is grateful, the mother of three is a recent liver transplant recipient.

“It gives somebody a second chance at life.”

Her journey began when she was pregnant with her third child nearly six years ago.

“I began having itching all over my body.”

She was told by doctors in El Paso that the itching may be a hormonal itch, but a year later, the itching continued. Doctors then ran tests and discovered a condition called Primary Biliary Cirrhosis or PBC. Linss tried medication but to no avail. The family was desperate for answers, so she reached out to doctors at UT Southwestern in Dallas. Doctors there discovered she had a rare type of PBC, rapidly ductopenic PBC, which can quickly lead to cirrhosis. In 2012, she was put on an organ transplant list.

“They wanted to get me on the transplant list just as a precaution. She said it can go downhill very fast.”

Two painful years passed. Then in 2014, the family got the call they waited for.

“I received the call in August of this year and got it the 29th.”

One of her many doctors at UT Southwestern tells Abc-7 Linss was very fortunate.

“We really need organ donors to help the people in Texas and everywhere, to help with their condition so we can get them doing so well like Mrs. Linss is,” Dr. Jorge Marrero, Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said.

“There are about 17,000 people waiting for liver transplants in the United States. However, the number of transplants that are done are about 6,400 transplants that are done in the United States,” Dr. Marrero said.

According to the U.S Dept of Health and Human Services, more than 123,000 people nationwide are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, but there are only 13,000 registered donors. On average, 21 people die each day, waiting for a transplant.

“You can save up to 50 lives with your eyes and tissues and veins and other parts of your body…my organ donor is my hero and he gave me more of a chance to be with my kids,” Linss said.

You can help save a life. If you didn’t register to be a donor when you renewed your license, you can go online at www.organdonor.gov, where you’ll find information on how become a donor.