CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — While organ donor registration is on the rise, there is still a critical shortage of available organs in Northeast Ohio.
There are 1,192 men, women, and children in Northeast Ohio currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
Of the total candidates currently waiting nationwide for a transplant, 22.6% were Hispanic/Latino, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health in 2024.
A Lifebanc spokesperson said a large chunk of that national number comes from Ohio.
"Nationally, Hispanic/Latino individuals make up a growing share of those waiting—especially for kidneys—due to higher rates of diabetes and hypertension. Increasing donor diversity helps improve transplant compatibility and outcomes for all," a Lifebanc spokesperson told me.
Lifebanc serves 4.3 million people across 20 counties in Northeast Ohio, partnering with 80 hospitals and two transplant centers to recover and match organs, eyes, and tissues for transplantation.
Donations have increased overall, per Lifebanc.
In the past year alone, Lifebanc helped save 493 lives through organ donation and enhanced many more through 925 tissue and cornea donations.
"There is a critical shortage of available organs. Despite recent increases in donor registration and successful transplants, the demand far exceeds supply, leading to an average of 20 deaths every day nationwide due to a lack of available organs," Lifebanc said.
One organ donor can save up to eight lives and enhance more than 100 through tissue and cornea donation.
"A living donation allows someone to directly save or extend a life while still alive. Donation after death provides the opportunity to create a lasting legacy that transforms the lives of others," Lifebanc said.
Vanessa Silva has been part of the donation process with Lifebanc.
Silva lost her 9-year-old twins, Mila and Ray, to a house fire in 2021.
"It was a late night. I had sent them up to bed probably around like 10:30 (p.m.), 11 (p.m.). My parents were out doing some grocery shopping. They came back to the house. It was close to midnight when this all started. As we're helping bring stuff in, my brother comes from upstairs and says that he could smell smoke. I went upstairs and it was coming out of the kids' bedroom," Silva told me.
Silva said she opened the door to a smoke-filled room and immediately called for help.
"It felt like it took forever, but it was probably just a couple of minutes it took for them to get them out of the house," she said.
Her twins were rushed to a nearby hospital, but she told me a doctor told her, due to their prolonged lack of oxygen, "there was really not much hope."
"Even if they were to wake up, there would probably be devastatingly irreversible damage," Silva said.
It's one of the toughest decisions a parent can make, and sadly, Silva said goodbye to her twins.
Silva wanted her children's legacy to continue, though, so she opted to donate her son's organs and her daughter's corneas and tissue.
"Maybe this was their destiny, their legacy to be able to help other people," Silva said. "I have always been a firm believer in organ donation, so that was almost like not even a question for me."
Although on short notice, she said Lifebanc quickly put a team together to help Silva through the donation process.
"It was the greatest thing," she said.
"Why are you a firm believer in organ donation?," I asked Silva.
Silva said, "If you have the power to help somebody else stay alive, why wouldn't you want to do that? If you have the option to help somebody else not go through that pain, I feel like that's something you should do. It's just, for me, basic human decency."
Because of Silva's daughter's cornea donation, a 7-year-old was given the ability to see again, Silva told me.
"That means so much to me," she told me in response. "It's such a beautiful thing to know that there are these people out here who are able to live normal lives and live longer lives because you made this choice. It's kind of uplifting and empowering for me like I was able to make a decision that helped other people. Part of them lives on in these people's lives and whatever they do with themselves, their legacy is also part of my children."
Registering is easy, free, and life-changing. If interested, you can do the following:
- Say “YES” at the BMV when renewing your driver’s license or ID.
- Register online at Lifebanc.org or RegisterMe.org.
There’s no age limit to donate, and most medical conditions do not prevent donation.
Final eligibility is determined by medical professionals at the time of donation.
