Today, there are 101,719 people in the United States waiting for a life saving organ transplant. In fact, every 18 minutes a new name is added to the national organ waiting list. The demand for organs simply out weighs the supply available to those waiting. Every year more than 6,000 people will die while waiting for an organ transplant.

Below is a breakdown of the number of people waiting for organ transplants.

• Kidney 84,362
• Liver 16,501
• Pancreas 1,553
• Kidney-Pancreas 2,339
• Heart 2,789
• Lung 1,970
• Heart-Lung 85
• Intestine 214

In Tennessee alone, there are 2,271 people who need a life saving organ transplant. Dr. Mitchell Goldman started the medical center’s transplant program in 1985 transplanting kidneys for both adult and pediatric patients with end stage kidney disease. In 2004, Dr. Oscar Grandas, medical director, joined the program and started the pancreas transplant service in 2005. Over 880 transplants have been performed since the center opened. On Sunday, April 26, the center will celebrate its 24th Anniversary with a patient reunion.

Organ and tissue transplants offer patients a new chance at healthy, productive and normal lives. You can help change someone's world by being a donor. For more information, contact Richard Porter with Tennessee donor Services at 865.850.7537 or visit http://donatelifetn.org.  

To register as an organ or tissue donor, visit https://www.tndonorregistry.org.