“We received a letter from one of the recipients who couldn’t walk because she had kidney failure,” Hernandez says. “She’s now able to play with her grandchildren and because of the donation, she was able to have a better life.”
On this day, Hernandez received the news that her 39-year-old sister had suffered a sudden and unexplained brain aneurysm and was in the intensive care unit at Somerset Medical Center. Hernandez flew to New Jersey the next morning with her mom and other family members. Within a few days, doctors confirmed her sister had died as a result of her catastrophic neurological injury.
“The news was devastating,” Hernandez says. “But once we learned she wasn’t going to make it, my mom and I decided we could donate her organs. My sister was gone, but she could save another life.”
Sensitive, supportive care
When Hernandez and her mom told the critical care nurses they were interested in donating Andino's organs, Somerset Medical Center contacted NJ Sharing Network, which works with families to discuss donation options. “We’re responsible for the recovery of organs and tissue for transplants throughout Central and North Jersey,” says Joseph Roth, president and chief executive officer of NJ Sharing Network.
“We take a great deal of time preparing families,” says Tom Finer, RN, BSN, CCRN, manager of critical care at Somerset Medical Center. “We help them understand that brain death is biological death. To ensure that the donation request is made to the family in a sensitive manner, it is critical that donation not be mentioned to the family until they are able to understand and acknowledge brain death. Even though their loved one may be maintained on ventilator support, he or she would never come to a cognitive state again. It’s a difficult process for families to go through, but we’re here to support them with the help of NJ Sharing Network's team and answer their questions along the way.”
NJ Sharing Network determined that Andino could indeed give this rare and unique gift, which less than 1 percent of us are medically suitable to give. Ultimately, she was able to save the lives of three others in critical need through the donation of her liver and kidneys. She was also able to restore health to countless others through her tissue, including the gift of sight through the donation of her corneas.
Giving back ‘hope and life’
“We received a letter from one of the recipients who couldn’t walk because she had kidney failure,” Hernandez says. “She’s now able to play with her grandchildren and because of the donation, she was able to have a better life.”
For Hernandez, being able to donate her sister’s organs and tissue brought her family tremendous peace during a time of such great loss. “My sister died so young, but she was able to give back hope and life to other people and their families,” Hernandez says.
To become an organ and tissue donor, register at your local motor vehicle agency or at www.NJSharingNetwork.org.
There’s something you can donate now that would have a tremendous impact on other peoples’ lives: your blood. Somerset Medical Center’s Blood Donor program is one of just a few hospital-run programs of its kind in New Jersey.
The program relies on donations for most of the blood the hospital uses each year. The need for blood currently exceeds the number of donors. Somerset Medical Center makes donating blood a breeze with a comfortable atmosphere including convenient hours for appointments and walk-ins:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesdays and Thursdays: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturdays: Based on availability
For questions or to make an appointment, call the Blood Donor Program at 908-685-2926.