BLM, COVID-19, and Organ Donation: How do they relate?
First and foremost, we want to pay our respects to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. We stand with you, we support you, and we love you. ODAC would like to show solidarity with our members of the black community at this time. Also, we encourage those of you who haven’t yet to educate yourselves on the long history of violence and trauma that have built up to the current events today. Black Lives Matter.
We wanted to discuss organ donation in how it is the outlier of society, where it is fair, equal, nonjudgmental, and for all. Additionally, with everything that is currently going on with the pandemic, we thought it would be both fitting and beneficial to look at organ donation in the context of COVID-19 in the United States. Although the science behind the novel coronavirus is continually growing and changing, it is important to highlight the similarities and differences between the procedures of organ donation and how care for coronavirus has been executed in the landscape of the modern-day healthcare system.
Testing for the coronavirus has been a large topic of contention, with the United States severely under testing its citizens throughout this crisis. There has been a severe lack of communication in regards to who can be tested and how it can be done. Those exhibiting symptoms congruent with coronavirus are not always given a test, even when they check off every box indicating the possibility of having contracted the virus. For many, this is the result of having to work hourly wage jobs and not having the financial stability to take time off and/or pay for a test. It’s also a question of resources and population density. Many state hospitals that serve a large community have not been supplied a sufficient amount of tests to administer. The Black community, in particular, has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Although other factors may play a role, it is evident that the healthcare system is severely lacking in proper testing, support, and resources in predominantly Black neighborhoods, giving them greater exposure to the virus and not being able to provide appropriate treatments. Meanwhile, someone with celebrity status, like an asymptomatic NBA player, can easily get tests for themselves and their loved ones. The case for Beyoncé is similar. Because she wanted to spend Mother’s day with her extended family, she had each and every person tested for coronavirus and was able to bring everyone into her home for the celebrations. All the while, this Boston woman and many others like her were told to “just stay home”.
There should not be a disparity in the level of basic medical care you can receive based on your race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic level, or celebrity status. Sadly, this is not the case across most of society, including healthcare; organ donation, however, at every level constitutes a truly fair playing field. Anyone is allowed to donate, regardless of their health issues and citizenship status. Donated organs are assigned to a person by those with the closest HLA type (how your body recognizes itself) and those with the greatest need for the organ. Only items that are necessary for the greatest chance of success and survival are taken into account, with the UNOS database ensuring that there is no breach of this policy and full protection of this data.
Unfortunately, there is a good amount of misinformation surrounding organ donation, which is why we founded ODAC. Our mission has always been to educate New York youth and eradicate these myths, hoping to create a stable increase in registration. Furthermore, these mistruths have caused the number of registered peoples of color to be shockingly low, while traditionally there are high numbers of people of these very same ethnicities waiting for a transplant. Although race and ethnicity will never factor into who can donate and who receives the organs (plenty of organs have been transplanted across different races), there is, biologically, a closer blood type and HLA match between those coming from the same ethnic and racial backgrounds. As people of color, we want to encourage you to register as organ donors and support this field that is fair for all in an otherwise unfair society. Of the over 9,000 Asians waiting for a kidney, only 2,076 received a transplant. Almost 23,000(!!) Hispanics are waiting for any life-saving organ, unable to have surgery simply because we need more Hispanic donors. The rate of African Americans (age 25-44) with kidney failure caused by high blood pressure is 20 times greater than that of Caucasians. ALL ethnic minorities are three times more at risk for end-stage renal diseases and diabetes. These are all issues that can lead to death without a transplant. By simply registering as an organ donor, you can help save and improve up to 75 lives, particularly of those from backgrounds you identify with, at absolutely no cost to you.
As seen with coronavirus and a plethora of other medical issues, there is still a lot of work to be done to bring equality to treatment. Organ donation has set the example for how healthcare should progress, blinding us from factors that should not play a role in fairly saving lives. It is a sad reality that right now, people are forced to wait up to five years waiting for a kidney when all we have to do is register. So please, take some time to reflect on how much effort goes into making the organ registry fair and accessible to all. Organ donation is a selfless gift that comes at no cost to us as donors, and we can donate freely knowing that our organs will go to exactly the right person at the right time. Please register by clicking here, and we look forward to speaking to you all very soon!
Stay healthy, and register now,
