The Power of Organ Donation

Mayo Clinic’s Children’s Center is giving the smallest patients one of the biggest, most life-changing gifts they’ll ever receive —a new organ. Learning your child may need an organ transplant can be difficult, but Mayo Clinic is committed to offering hope, guidance, and exceptional care. Currently, there are over 1,900 children under the age of 18 on the national transplant waiting list. As one of the largest transplant centers in the country, with a deep understanding of pediatric patients, Mayo Clinic is dedicated to getting the transplant waitlist down to zero.

An act of generosity

Julie Heimbach, MD, is a transplant surgeon and the director of the transplant center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She focuses primarily on the liver, though the center also offers pediatric kidney, heart and bone marrow transplants. Dr. Heimbach calls organ donation a remarkable act of generosity. “It’s important for everyone to know that there are children waiting and that organ donation happens for all age groups.” Experts at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center, like Dr. Heimbach, are endlessly working to provide opportunities for transplant for more patients who are waiting, develop innovative ways of preventing organ rejection, and improve the quality of life and post transplant outcomes for all patients.

Working as a team

Dr. Heimbach notes that one of Mayo Clinic’s main strengths is the multidisciplinary approach. If a child gets a liver transplant but also has another health issue, the team knows exactly how to handle it. “I think the teamwork is what really differentiates us. We’re really always very connected.” Children and their families can expect a smoother, more efficient experience as a result, with care personalized to their needs. But once they leave the hospital after a successful transplant surgery, the care doesn’t stop. Dr. Heimbach and her colleagues are committed to lifelong follow-up. “We follow our patients for life. It’s something we strongly believe in,” she explains.

Innovation is key

Mayo Clinic is one of the leaders in using medical innovation to better serve children on the waitlist. Take heart transplant, for example. Pediatric heart transplant specialists at Mayo Clinic recently completed their first pediatric transplant using the revolutionary “heart-in-a-box” perfusion system, which has previously been used primarily in adults. “This breakthrough transforms the landscape of pediatric heart transplant, by allowing us to go further for hearts. It expands the travel distance to six hours or 1,500 miles,” says Jonathan Johnson, MD, chair of pediatric cardiology. For children seeking a liver transplant, Mayo Clinic offers both directed and non-directed living donation, and even paired donation to help transplants happen more quickly.

The greatest gift

To become an organ, eye, and tissue donor, you can register online at DonateLife.net or by checking the box on your driver’s license or state ID card application. Another option is to become a living kidney, liver, and bone marrow donor, donating directly to a loved one or on behalf of a loved one through a paired exchange (if you are not a match for your loved one). It is also possible to donate as a non-directed donor, without knowing a specific recipient. Consider taking this step and encourage your loved ones to do the same. Together, we can ensure every child is able to lead a healthy life from the start.

“It’s important for everyone to know that there are children waiting and that organ donation happens for all age groups.”
— Julie Heimbach, MD

mayoclinic.com/pediatrics | 507-923-2566

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