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McALLEN — We all have that power to change somebody’s life.
Jaime Longoria gently spoke those nine words Thursday afternoon before a crowd of people who gathered to learn about organ donation registration. With a shaky voice, Longoria pulled from a painful, personal experience to remind that lives are at stake, and encouraged attendees to motivate those in the community to register as organ donors.
Leading the efforts to help the cause, the South Texas Health System Heart facility in McAllen hosted Longoria and others at a ceremony Thursday.
The Health Resources and Service Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that there are 104,234 people currently on the transplant list nationally, and notes that a single donation can save eight lives or enhance 75.
In the Rio Grande Valley, healthcare institutions like STHS and non-governmental organizations hold events semi-annually to raise organ donation awareness, often featuring residents whose lives have changed thanks to the generosity of donors.
Longoria, who serves as the executive director of the Hidalgo County Community Services Agency, spoke of his son being both an organ receiver and organ donor, and his words didn’t come easy.
Longoria’s son Jaime, or as he called him “Jaimito,” was born in October 2004 with mitral valve regurgitation and aortic stenosis. Due to his condition he was hospitalized about 72 times.
“The first 15 months of his life were one hospitalization after another,” Longoria said, adding that his son had two pacemakers, he had lost two-thirds of his intestine and had six open heart surgeries.
On Jan. 26, 2015, he received a call that a heart was available for his son. Longoria did his best to make the most of this “gift of life” and seized every opportunity to spend time with his son.
“We went from hospitalizations to Disney World,” Longoria said, stressing that whether for days or for years, organ donations extend life and grant families more time with their loved ones.
In Jaimito’s case, the heart transplant added five years and one day to his life.
Although his son didn’t die as a result of the transplant, a medical device implanted inside him to help his digestive system created an infection, which led to Jaimito’s death at the age of 6.
“Jaimito donated his little knees for science, Jaimito donated some skin for more patients and Jaimito donated his corneas so that people could see,” Longoria said.
“We went from hospitalizations to Disney World,” Longoria said, stressing that whether for days or for years, organ donations extend life and grant families more time with their loved ones.
During the ceremony, McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos, like Longoria, shared a personal account regarding organ donation before signing a proclamation that officially declares April as National Donate Life Month.
He explained that his late sister Veronica Villalobos Barajas had received cornea transplants after she began losing her eyesight.
It was his sister’s story that motivated Villalobos to encourage those in the community to register as organ donors
“If we can help somebody else, we should,” Villalobos said.
