Douglas Jordan still tears up when he explains the circumstances that led to his first organ transplants in September 2013.
He shared his story, as did other organ recipients, April 26 during the Organ Transplant Fair held in the America Building at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Wendy Caesar-Gibbs, a registered dietitian and board-certified specializing in renal nutrition, helped plan and organize the fair “to bring awareness to the importance of being an organ donor, and showcasing some of our transplant recipients.” She said organ donation extends not only life, but the quality of life the patient can have.
“There are approximately 80,000 people waiting for kidneys in the United States."
“Patients wait for a deceased donor kidney for five years or more, depending on blood type and region. Increasing the living donor pool would help lessen the wait time and give people a better quality of life,” added Dr. Angela Curry, a clinical transplant pharmacist at WRNMMC who also helped organized the fair.
As part of WRB’s holistic transplant team, Caesar-Gibbs and Curry agreed that one of the rewards of what they do is seeing how their patients progress following a transplant.
“It’s rewarding to see your patients get a new lease on life and to see them thrive in their activities that they may not have been able to enjoy or do,” Curry stated.
“There is no greater reward than that,” added Caesar-Gibbs. “It is then that you fully embrace the fact that what you do matters.”
And matter it does to Jordan, who, along with other organ recipients at the transplant fair, sported shirts with the message, “Have A Heart, It Matters.”