MANKATO — Blue Earth and Nicollet counties have more people registering as organ donors than the state average, but overall rates aren’t keeping up with the demand.
The counties had 57% and 63% of residents designate themselves as donors in motor vehicle registrations through February of this year, according to data from LifeSource. Minnesota’s statewide average was 52%.
Dr. Julie Heimbach, a transplant surgeon and director of the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center in Rochester, said during a media briefing Tuesday that there remains a critical shortage of available organs compared to the waitlists of people needing them.
“We’ve made so much progress in making this therapy that works really well, but we can’t apply it to everybody that needs it,” she said. “That’s a crucial challenge for organ donation is being able to meet the needs of all the people who are waiting.”
Dispelling myths about organ donation and making the shortage known are ways to address the gap, she added.
One myth she’s come across about deceased donors may come from television or film portrayals. The misconception claims patients registered as organ donors won’t receive the same care for critical illnesses. In reality a care team doesn’t look at organ donor information until after the patient is determined to be unrecoverable.
For living donors, kidney transplants are most common. People with two healthy kidneys can donate one and function the same as usual with the remaining organ.
As of March the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network listed 89,101 patients waiting for kidneys in the U.S. The next most needed organ was livers with 9,862 waiting patients, according to OPTN data.
The fact that people can donate part of their liver isn’t well known, Heimbach said. The liver looks like one big organ, but it has separate right and left parts on the inside.
The remaining side quickly regenerates after a donation. Someone can’t donate a part of the liver more than once, however.
Data from LifeSource showed organ donor registration rates stayed relatively steady year-to-year in Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. They’ve had as high as 66% and as low as 59% rates between 2019-2023.
Blue Earth County’s rates were as follows:
• 2019 — 61%
• 2020 — 63%
• 2021 — 61%
• 2022 — 59%
• 2023 — 59%
Nicollet County’s rates were as follows:
• 2019 — 65%
• 2020 — 66%
• 2021 — 63%
• 2022 — 61%
• 2023 — 62%
Asked to share an impact story from a career of transplant surgeries, Heimbach said it would be like choosing a favorite child. She shared one about a man from southern Colorado who received a kidney transplant, allowing him to remain on his ranch rather than moving closer to Denver for dialysis.
“That’s the power of transplant is it doesn’t just save a life but it returns people to full function,” she said. “It’s truly remarkable what’s possible.”
Careful assessments of donors and recipients precede the donation. Someone may not be a good candidate for a transplant if an underlying condition is likely to make is unsuccessful.
Recipients also need to be committed to managing their conditions before and after the transplant. Keeping up on their medications, going to check-ups and support from family or friends are all among the factors to consider.
“It’s important to recognize what can be achieved both for organ donors and transplants, but it does require a tremendous commitment,” Heimbach said.