Kids Need Transplants Too: National Pediatric Transplant Week 2022

Every year during the last week of National Donate Life Month, we celebrate National Pediatric Transplant Week, a time to talk about efforts to end the pediatric transplant waiting list and recognize those that have been touched by pediatric organ, eye and tissue donation.

Throughout the week, clinical partners are encouraged to share patient stories, transplant recipients can share their gratitude, and donor families whose children have saved and healed lives through organ, eye and tissue donation are honored.

Donation & Transplantation Pediatric Stats:

Local (Colorado & Wyoming):

• 30 children under 18 are waiting for a lifesaving transplant.*
• The organ most in need for those waiting locally is the kidney.
• There were twelve pediatric donors in 2021.

National:

• 1,850 children under 18 are on the national transplant waiting list.*
• 1,766 children received transplants in 2020.
• There were 860 pediatric donors in 2020.

*as of 4/25/22

Local Children’s Transplant Center:

Children’s Hospital Colorado has helped change the lives of children through transplantation for 25 years. As the only pediatric organ transplant center in our region, Children’s Hospital Colorado has performed more than 1,000 lifesaving organ transplants since 1990, including transplants from generous living donors. Their heart, kidney and liver transplant programs achieve outcomes among the best in the nation.

Children’s Colorado is also home to the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, offering the region’s most experienced pediatric blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy program where they’ve performed 1,000+ pediatric bone marrow transplants in their 25-year history. The hospital’s Blood Donor Center facilitates lifesaving blood and platelet donations to fulfill 95% of the hospital’s needs.

Local Students Create Children’s Books about Donation and Transplant

Through Donor Alliance’s educational partnership with the Northglenn High School STEM program, two classes of anatomy students created children’s books dealing with the themes of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. These books were presented to Donor Alliance staff and Advocates during Pediatric Transplant Week. We hope to print hard copies of these books and provide them to local transplant centers throughout the coming months.

Ways You Can Get Involved:

• • Share this article or one of the local stories above with your friends and family on your social media pages, be sure to use, #KidsTransplantWeek.
  • Have a story of your own you’d like to share? We’d love to hear it! Share here if you’re in Colorado, or here if you’re in Wyoming.
  • Remember, the best to support National Pediatric Transplant Week is to make sure you are a register donor! Sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor after death when you obtain or renew your driver license or any time online at org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

As a reminder, for anyone under 18 years old, a parent or legal guardian must authorize donation. When obtaining a driver license, 15-17 year-olds may sign up with the intent to be a donor, but until they are 18, a parent or legal guardian makes the final donation decision. Have this important conversation with your teens! Share your donation decision with those you love.