News
Sierra Donor Services Saves 301 Lives and Breaks Heart, Lung and Pancreas Transplant Records in 2022
March 2, 2023
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Sierra Donor Services announces a record-breaking year for organ and tissue donation.
Organ Procurement Organizations, including SDS, are responsible for orchestrating the entire organ and tissue donation process from approaching donor families to matching organs to individuals awaiting these precious gifts at transplant hospitals.
In 2022, SDS saved and healed the lives of thousands:
● 401 organ transplants from 153 generous donor heroes
● 12,731 tissue grafts recovered from 881 tissue donors
● Record number of heart, lung and pancreas transplants
“We are proud and thankful for every life we have been able to save this year through the incredible gifts from our donor heroes and the dedicated work of our staff.” says Sean Van Slyck, Executive Director of Sierra Donor Services. “Every year, I am amazed by this community and the selflessness of those around us. None of this would be possible without the generosity of donor heroes and their families, our donor hospital champions, and the dedication of the Sierra Donor Services team working together to save as many lives as possible.”
In 2022, SDS focused its outreach efforts on increasing access to organ donation within Sacramento’s diverse ethnic communities. Their work to raise awareness and engage resulted in an increase in Black and Hispanic donors from the year prior.
Nationally, 2022 was also a record-breaking year for donation and transplant. In September 2022, the United States celebrated 1 million organ transplants since the first successful kidney transplant in 1954. Over half of these transplants have occurred since 2000. The United States was the first nation in the world to reach this milestone.
More than 100,000 Americans are awaiting an organ transplant, despite an average of 110 people receiving one each day in the U.S. SDS works tirelessly to save lives and ensure that more than 20,000 Californians on the transplant waitlist receive the organs they need to survive. Each of us can make a difference by registering to #BeTheGift as an organ and tissue donor at SierraDonor.org.
About Sierra Donor Services
Sierra Donor Services (SDS) serves nearly three million people in Northern California and Northern Nevada. We are an exceptional team of professionals dedicated to saving and improving lives by connecting organ and tissue donation to the patients who need them. We strive to extend the reach of each generous donor’s gift to those who are always profoundly grateful for them.