Letter: Experimental transplant should not eclipse human donors

The following letter was submitted to The Buffalo News and published Oct. 28, 2021.

The news that a team at NYU Langone Health recently conducted a pig-to-human kidney transplant has drawn a great deal of attention. Medical research is making incredible advances and bringing new hope to people facing organ failure. However, this experimental procedure shouldn’t overshadow the real need for human organ donors right now.

There are more than 90,000 people in the United States currently waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant. More than 7,000 New Yorkers are listed and the wait can be long. Today, there are more than 1,200 New Yorkers who have waited five years or longer for a kidney.

Many registered organ donors and generous families gave the Gift of Life in 2020, allowing 17,583 kidney transplants from deceased donors. Living kidney donors made 5,234 transplants possible last year. Unfortunately, many more kidneys are needed each year than become available.

Registering as an organ donor – or considering living donation – has the potential to save lives now.

Jeremy Morlock

Director, Kidney Foundation of WNY