Ken Robinson and Georgine Hurst (photo by L. Ingram)
At the December SaddleBrooke Ranch Veterans Club meeting, Ken Robinson, chairman of the club, welcomed Georgine Hurst, who is a volunteer for the Donor Outreach for Veterans (DOVE) nonprofit. She described how DOVE helps match up kidney donors and veterans.
The average wait for a kidney from a deceased donor is five years long. Veterans are dying while waiting for a kidney. Living veteran kidney donors would enable veterans to bypass this long wait. Living kidney donation is safe for those who are medically cleared. Living kidney donors live normal lives with one kidney and can save a veteran’s life with their other.
Through both individual and community outreach campaigns, DOVE will find, educate, and match prospective donors to veterans who are active or “Status 1*” (*Honorable discharge)
on the national wait list. All testing and medical costs are covered by a veterans transplant center. Costs related to travel, lost wages, childcare, etc. will be covered by DOVE or other available transplant funds such as the National Living Donor Assistance Center.
Georgine said that their motto is “Encouraging People to Give.” After the presentation she answered many questions from many vets who were interested in the program.
For more information, contact DOVE at [email protected] or see their website at dovetrasplant.org.