In the U.S. more than 122,000 people are waiting for a transplant. Around 58 percent of the people who are on a waiting list for a life-saving organ transplants are minorities (which represent 36 percent of the nation’s population). In the region (eastern PA, southern NJ and DE) nearly 5,900 people from all ages are awaiting transplants that can save their lives.

One of them was Kenneth Rodriguez. He is a Puerto Rican child who has faced health problems since he was born. He was misdiagnosed with Biliary Atresia (a rare diseases that affects the liver and bile ducts) as a baby in Puerto Rico.

After a surgery, Kenneth’s family knew they had exhausted their medical options in Puerto Rico, and a specialist from Philadelphia would be their best and only option. With the help of the television show ¨Entre Nosotras¨ they got tickets to Philadelphia for the whole family.

The Rodriguez family came to the United States to seek the treatment Kenneth needed and they settled in at Gift of Life Donor Program’s Family House.

“It was so nice to have a safe, comfortable place to come home to.” said Maribel Rodriguez, Kenneth’s mother. “It really helps to deal with all of the stress when you are surrounded by people going through the same thing as you. If we had not found the Family House, we would have never been able to stay in Philadelphia.”

In Philadelphia, Kenneth was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that had affected all of the major systems of his body, including his liver. A transplant was his only chance for survival.
Kenneth’s condition got worse, due to a skull fracture, which at the same time put him at the top of the waiting list and gave him the chance to have a new liver after hours of surgery.

“Before his liver transplant, all chocolate and sugar tasted sour to him.” said Rodriguez. “I’ll never forget his face the first time he tasted chocolate after his transplant.  He looked shocked and in awe. His whole face lit up. Now, he loves to eat Nutella and sweets.”

Gift of Life Donor Program wants to remind that that just one donor can save and enhance the lives of up to 50 people. It only takes 30 second register and you can do it today at www.donors1.org.

“I think it’s hard for people to understand how important it is to be an organ and tissue donor, until they have a family member or friend whose life depends on it.  I also think that there are a lot of myths that make people not register. I hope that no one has to go through what we did, but I would like others to know how significant it is to register as a donor,” said Rodriguez.