European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday May 24, 1986 the stars and stripes o Page 17 in a now Gey. A i Moi Kean of new Jersey with a Mother and her baby who needed a liver Irani plan making a general Appeal for Donon last year during statewide Organ donation and transplantation week. Finding donors for human Organ transplants by Andrew j. Sherry associated press t he Call came just alter 7-year-old Wendy Williams of Schenectady n.y., had Bee declared brain dead. Another Little girl i Houston needed a liver. Without it doctors gave her 12 hours to live. We put ourselves in the other parents place says David Williams who had hardly left Ellis Hospital in the three Days since his daughter had been hit by a car. They had the second Chance we had hoped Lor. Alter discussing it at Home in nearby Scotia n.y., Williams and his Wile Gayle gave doctors permission to remove Wendy s liver and both her kidneys Lor transplanting. We really had no problem dealing with the Organ donation itself Williams says. It was just a question of How Many of Wendy s organs to donate. You had to know Wendy to know Why we could t give her heart away so Many feelings went through that heart. She loved everyone she touched. The girl in Houston As Well As another girl and a Young Mother in Eastern new York Are now recovering toward healthy Normal lives thanks to Wendy s organs which were transplanted in february. All three Are beneficiaries of a new state Law which requires new York hospitals to ask for Organ and tissue donations whenever a suitable patient Dies. The new York Law took effect Jan. 1, As did a similar measure in California. Oregon implemented a donor Law in february. Williams said he did t feel the request was an intrusion on the family. We find a lot of Consolation in the fact that there Are three other people leading healthy lives thanks to Wendy he says. Since the Law went into effect new York medical officials say they be documented a dramatic increase in the number of human parts available for transplanting. There s been an enormous increase for us in the number of Corneas available for transplant says Linda Spear director of the Rochester Eye and human parts Bank. Spear says 62 eyes were donated during october 1985 in the Central and Western new York Region served by the Bank. After the Law took effect the number soared to 122 in january and 123 in february. Albany medical Center the biggest kidney transplant Center in upstate new York also recorded a Lump in donations. Frank Tail coordinator of the medical Center s regional transplant program and president of the kidney foundation of Northeast new York said an average of 3.8 kidneys were donated during the first two months of the years 1980 through 1985. In the same two month period this year there were 10 kidney donors. What s More encouraging is thai we be gone to two hospitals where be never had gone before and another where we had t had a procurement in two or three years says Taft. Who has the delicate task of approaching families about donation. Similar increases in donated organs have been noted in California and Oregon. In Oregon the number of available eyes for Cornea transplants has doubled since february and the number of donated hearts lungs kidneys skin Bone and other tissues has increased by half. It s a dramatic increase and its very exciting Lor individuals who have been awaiting  says Mary Jane Hunt coordinator Lor the Oregon donor program. Before the Law went into effect the Oregon Lions Eye Bank received about 40 pairs of eyes monthly. Since february. 80 sets have been donated each month says Mike Gordon corneal transplant coordinator for the Eye Bank. California s Law has increased both referrals of potential Organ donors and the actual number of Organ donors handled by the regional Organ procurement Agency of Southern California which deals with 218 hospitals said transplant coordinator Barbara Schulman. For the first three months of this year 160 potential donors were referred to the Agency a 57 percent increase Over january March 1985. Schulman said. Schulman said she believes the increase has t been larger because a number of hospitals already were doing a pretty Good Job soliciting possible donations while Many others Are still establishing procedures. In addition another new California Law requires Drivers to Wear seat belts and May have reduced the number of fatal traffic Accident victims who could be donors she said. Phyllis Weber program director Lor the Northern California transplant Bank in san Francisco said that while she did t have statistics immediately available the number of potential donors referred to her Agency Rose astronomically after the Law took effect Jan. 1, then slackened in february and March and Rose again in april. There Are still problems to be resolved. Some Hospital officials in new York say the Law should provide More specific guidelines Lor the request process. Barbara Cassaro vice president of the Western new York Hospital association which represents 37 hospitals said problems also could arise Over the Legal definition of brain death. Hospital staffs she said need a written policy determining the  Cassaro said she would like More specific procedural guidelines for requesting organs to guard against lawsuits. For example a Hospital could get consent from one family member Only to face objections from another who was initially unavailable. A task Force appointed by gov. Mario m. Cuomo recently recommended that Testate health department adopt regulations that ensure the  uniformly applied throughout the state. The task Force is also expected to make recommendations concerning Organ donation procedures said health department spokesman Peter Slocum. There Are other dilemmas Cassaro says. I think our biggest problem will be finding someone who will approach the families of potential donors in a compassionate and knowledgeable manner she says. I would t want to do  Albany medical Center conducts weekly Day Long seminars to teach selected Hospital staffers administrators nurses and doctors How to approach the families of potential Organ donors. Similar programs Are under Way in new York City Syracuse Rochester and Buffalo. I try to be a support a Crutch for a family in a time of tragedy if they want me Tail says. When a family decides to donate an Organ i give them my number and Tell them to Call me anytime 24 hours a Day if they have any doubts about the donation or if they just want to  tails says that when asked about 85 percent agree to the donation of a family says no i just thank them and walk  Williams says it was made very very Clear that in no circumstances would anyone object if we decided not to  also said that Wendy s status As a potential Organ donor in no Way affected the level of care she received. It makes it a Little easier knowing Wendy has been Able to help two other children and a Young Mother Lead healthy lives. It s just hard that she had to die to do