Latino Life: Organ Donation Can Save Child's Life

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Three-year-old Austin Salinas was born with kidney disease. His mother Sara Salinas was pregnant when she learned her child would need medical intervention.

Austin has spent days and nights in the hospital. He has good days and bad days. The boy loves to play like any other child. He even walked out of this interview segment with Latino Life host Graciela Moreno to tend to more important things like playing with his ball.

Sara and her husband Lance would like to send a message to others: "Please register to be an organ donor." Austin and others may need that gift of life someday. Marcella Corona from Donor Network West says there are 22,000 people waiting for an organ transplant in California, of which 1,000 live in Fresno County. Every day, 22 people in the U.S. die waiting for an organ that didn't come in time. According to Donor Network West, 40 percent of those waiting for an organ transplant in California are Latinos.

Corona says Latino donors are more likely to be successfully matched with other Latinos. She encourages everyone regardless of ethnicity to have a conversation about donation with loved ones and register as an organ and tissue donor either at the DMV or http://www.donornetworkwest.org . http://www.donornetworkwest.org/espanol