One in 5 people waiting for a transplant are Latino. There's a call for more donors.
Anel Aguirre was born with only one kidney, and over time her health began to deteriorate.
Anel Aguirre was born with only one kidney, and over time her health began to deteriorate. When she was 12 years old, she received a transplant.
“From the time I started dialysis to the time I received the organ, I waited one month,” Aguirre, now 38, said.
There are over 100 million people waiting for transplants in the U.S., and 60% are minorities, according to One Legacy Foundation, a group created in 2011 that advocates for organ donations. Kidneys are the organ in highest demand.
Although the Hispanic population is among the groups that most need transplants, they are among the most reluctant to register to become donors.
Mexican Americans, who make up a large portion of the Latino population, disproportionately have obesity, which can contribute to diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. These conditions put people at risk for organ failure.
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