National Organ Donation Day, celebrated today (27), was established by Law no. 11.584/2007 and included in the context of the “Green September” campaign
This Wednesday (27th) we celebrate National Organ Donation Day, the date established by law no. 11.584/2007 and inserted in the context of the “Green September“, which promotes and seeks to encourage organ donation for transplantation in the country.
Raising awareness about the date is seen as a mission Tania Maia da Mata58, who underwent a heart transplant in 2020 and, since then, has sought to spread information about organ donation and celebrate stories of lives transformed by altruistic acts, as happened to her.
“In 2018 I had a heart attack, from there my fight for life began. I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, which severely damaged my heart, but it was from the following year, 2019, that my health began to weaken more and more and I felt very weak, unable to carry out daily activities of basic.“, he reports.
Two years after the first heart attack, the medical prognosis was poor. “The case was surgical, as mitral valve disease had been discovered and only 20% of my heart was functioning. However, based on the results of the pre-operative tests, my heart would never have been able to withstand a surgery of this magnitude and my sentence was short-lived.“, He says. The indication was to enter palliative care, with the support of psychotherapy.
Tania’s son, who is a gynecologist, was not satisfied with the diagnosis and decided to look for other specialists: “It was unacceptable to accept the prognosis of my mother’s death, so I went to the best hospitals in São Paulo in search of the best specialist.“, Remember Marco Maia. It was then that he met the surgeon Fabio Antonio Gaiotto, who evaluated the case and decided to include her in the transplant queue of the Unified Health System (SUS), as a high priority. The specialist is the same one who recently performed the presenter’s heart transplant Fausto SilvaFaustão, in August.
“During the recovery period after the transplant, still in hospital, I decided to take an action that could inform and guide people on the importance of becoming an organ donor. Three years have passed since I was reborn to life, and this is only possible thanks to the generosity and altruism of people who, even in a moment of great pain, have chosen to donate the organs of their deceased loved ones.“, he celebrates.
How to become a donor
Data from the Brazilian Transplant Registry indicates that 356 heart transplants were performed last year. Since 2013, 3,505 transplants of this organ have been performed and, as of March 2023, the waiting list for this operation contained 310 adult patients and 59 pediatric patients.
According to the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation (ABTO), out of eight potential donors, only one is informed. While in countries such as Spain, a world reference in transplants, there are around 40 donors per million people, in Brazil this rate has not yet reached 20 donors per million people.
To become a donor here it is not necessary to leave anything written, in any document. It is sufficient to inform the family of your wish to donate, which will only happen after the family’s authorization. Transplants occur through traditional surgery and at the end of the surgery the body is reconstituted and can be veiled normally.
Organ and tissue donation can occur after brain death, i.e. the irreversible interruption of brain functions, or even during life.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
