NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — At any given time, 100,000 people across the United States are waiting for lifesaving organ donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.
A Newport News man’s recent experience highlights how age should not be a barrier to becoming a donor.
Jerry Sharp, 69, shared his story of organ donation after he donated a kidney to help a 25-year-old woman in need.
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The journey began about six months ago at Sharp's church when he learned about the woman's situation.
"I found out that the young lady at 25 needs a kidney," Sharp said. "I felt pretty compassionate about it, and said, 'Hey, I'd like to help.'"
However, the process faced a hurdle when the two discovered they had different blood types.
Fortunately, the National Kidney Registry facilitated a solution. While Sharp didn’t match the woman's blood type, he did match a man in Philadelphia who needed a kidney.
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"Eight weeks after I gave my kidney to somebody, somebody else from the Midwest gave a kidney to the young girl that got hers," Sharp said. "It was my donation that bumped her up on the priority list. She's now at four months since her transplant, and she's doing well."
In addition to his remarkable story, Sharp's age is significant as he is part of a growing trend of senior citizen donors. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reports that last year, 475 individuals over the age of 65 became living donors in the U.S., marking a 130 percent increase over the previous year.
"If you're in good health and you're over 65, you could still donate in almost every case," Sharp said.
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The increase in donations from seniors has been accompanied by a shift in the medical community’s perspective.
Anne Paschke, a donor and representative of the United Organ Sharing Network, noted that transplant professionals are now more willing to consider older individuals as living donors.
Paschke shed some light on her experience.
“It was like, imagine giving one of your loved ones a gift that they just adore. Then imagine that times ten; being able to give somebody life is the best feeling that you will ever experience,” Paschke said.
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For Sharp, the decision was clear, and he expressed a willingness to do it all over again.
"If I had another extra kidney, I'd give it too... But there's something that just says, not only was it the right thing to do, but I gave a kidney, and two people got their lives saved," he said.
He encourages others, regardless of age, to consider becoming donors.
“You’re a hero in the making," he said. "You know, you’re gonna save somebody’s life.”
