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Harrisburg Kiwanis Club learns about organ donation

Harrisburg Kiwanis Club held its weekly meeting on Wednesday, March 28 at Ponderosa.

Guest speaker was Brian Bush with the Secretary of State's Office giving a presentation about the organ donation program. Bush's role is to help educate the public regarding this important program. In contrast to the past signup requirements, those ages 17 and 18 may now register on their own. There are different donor registries throughout the country.

St. Louis has our area's registry. He explained the importance of organ donation indicating that up to nine individuals can be saved from one individual's organs. Additionally, tissue may be harvested and transplanted. Most transplant surgeries from our area will be scheduled at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, due to time constraints to reach a hospital with a viable organ.

Though heart and lungs come from our region, other organs and tissue may come from anywhere in the United States. Bush explained how advancements in organ/tissue transplantation has enabled recipients to live a longer, more productive life. Kiwanian Stu Switzer, a double-lung and kidney recipient, shared his success story with the club. Bush closed his presentation with these statistics: more than 120,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for transplants, 1,200 from our area; 80 percent of all heart valves go to children under the age of 14; 98 percent of all transplants today are successful; and 100 million individuals are on the donation registries.

For more information about the organ donation program, individuals may check with any Secretary of State office or online.