National Pediatric Transplant Week: Raising Awareness of the 2,000 Children on Transplant Waiting List
Houston, Texas Family Honors 13-Year-Old Jayla Celestine Who Offered Life to Others
(Houston – April 23, 2024) – National Pediatric Transplant Week is recognized the last full week (21st – 27th) in April of National Donate Life Month. This observance focuses on the powerful message of ending the need for a pediatric transplant waiting list. Throughout Pediatric Transplant Week, clinical partners share patient stories; donor families whose children have saved and healed lives through organ and tissue donation are honored; and recipient families share their thanks and milestone celebrations.
There are currently more than 2,000 children under the age of 18 waiting for a variety of organ transplants. More than 700 of them are younger than 6 years old. Although many of the conditions necessitating transplant can occur as early as infancy, the needs per age group vary. Most children ages 6-10 are waiting for a kidney transplant.
More than four years ago, 13-year-old Jayla Celestine lost her life due to a traumatic brain aneurysm. Her family stayed true to her giving spirit by changing the lives of others through organ donation. “I knew my daughter would have wanted to help someone else live,” says mother, Danielle Turner. “It was not easy on my heart because I knew organ donation meant my little girl was no longer here on earth with me, but my spirit was rested knowing she helped someone.”
Jayla’s selfless donation saved the life of five patients on the organ waiting list. “Being a donor family has changed our life,” adds Turner. “After my nephew found out that I had decided to donate Jayla’s organs, he and my sister had a long talk and at 15 years old, he told my sister he wanted to register as an organ donor. My mother was not happy at first but once she and I talked about it, she understood why and was so grateful that Jayla was able to help so many.”
“This week-long national observance recognizes the critical need for pediatric organ transplants,” says Yolanda Becker, MD, FACS, FAST, LifeGift vice president and chief medical officer. “National Pediatric Transplant Week is an opportunity to note the contributions made each day in restoring young lives while highlighting the critical need that still exists for additional pediatric transplants.”
LifeGift will honor wait list patients, donor families and transplant recipients on our social media channels. Be sure to join us in observing National Pediatric Transplant Week, April 21st – 27th!
Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families, organ donation saves tens of thousands of lives across the U.S. each year. To register as a life-saving organ, tissue and eye donor, visit www.donatelifetexas.org.
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About LifeGift
LifeGift is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) health services organization. As the organ procurement organization (OPO) for North, Southeast and West Texas, we partner with more than 200 hospitals across 109 counties to save and heal lives. LifeGift is a founding member of Donate Life Texas, the organization that manages the organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Please visit www.LifeGift.org.