SAN DIEGO — Thanks to 140 San Diego residents, more than 400 lives were saved last year.
A nonprofit group that coordinates organ and tissue donation in the county, known as Lifesharing, said 2022 was a record year for local organ donation.
According to the organization’s statistics, 140 San Diego donors respectfully contributed to 437 organ transplants locally, regionally and nationally last year.
Here’s a breakdown by organ based on Lifesharing data.
— Kidneys: 211
— Livers: 93
— Lungs: 65
— Hearts: 57
— Pancreases: 11
“When I say that to someone, when I say, ‘We had five organs transplanted this weekend, in my head, I’m trying to visualize those five people,” said Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser. “Five people are alive now. I may never meet them — I usually don’t. We know enough to know that these numbers we’re talking about — are lives.”
On top of that, the nonprofit group said there were also 430 tissue donors in 2022 from San Diego. Lifesharing said a single tissue donor can improve the lives of dozens of patients. For example, corneas restore sight, skin can heal burn victims and tendons can rebuild joints.
Interested in becoming an organ donor? It’s as easy as registering online.
“This milestone would not have been possible without the generosity of San Diego organ donors who gave the gift of life after they passed away,” Lifesharing noted in a press release.