TUCSON (KVOA) – Every day over 100,000 people in the United States wait for an organ transplant, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Out of those who wait, approximately 20 of them die because of the lack of donors.
A Tucson man was given a second chance by a friend and underwent a kidney transplant Thursday.
Robert Linden is fortunate he only had to wait about a year before he found a donor. Edgar Ybarra, his friend and our colleague at News 4 Tucson, answered the call .
The two men went into the operating room early Thursday morning at Banner University Medical Center. The surgery took several hours.
Linden was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 3. He was fortunate to find a donor, people of color have a difficult time getting a transplant due to the lack of donors.
“We’re always portrayed as killing each other, instead of saving each other’s lives,” Linden said.
Nico Santos works with the Donor Network of Arizona. He says that there is challenge in Arizona for Latinos and African Americans who need organ transplants.
“There are more people on the waiting list than there are donors,” said Santos. “And we know the racial components makes for better matches in organ donation.”
He added that while the organization’s goal is for people not to die waiting for an organ donation, the reality is a lot of people do.
Santos wants people, especially Latinos and African Americans, to consider becoming donors.
He said people can register at the Motor Vehicle Division when they get their drivers license or go to their website and register there.
“Just from the organ perspective, one person can save up to eight lives,” Santos said.
Just as fallen New York City Police Officer Wilbert Mora did. He was a hero when he was killed in the line of duty. After his passing, he continued to be a hero when he saved the lives of five people by donating his heart, liver, two kidneys, and pancreas to people needing lifesaving organ transplants.
Edgar Ybarra answered the call to give his friend a second chance. He says Banner-UMC made the process easy to for him to navigate.
“It’s not difficult, they work with you,” he said. “And don’t let it be a foreign topic because you never know if you or somebody else might be in need some day.”
Robert linden knows first hand.
“You are saving somebody’s life and it would be really worth it.”
Robert and Edgar are currently recovering from their surgeries. All of us at News 4 Tucson wish them a speedy recovery.
For more information, visit DonateLifeAZ Registry.