Love is love. Organs are organs.
06/26/2024AN INTENTIONAL DECISION
Adison Leigh Rayburn deeply understood the power of sharing life.
“She actually registered to be a donor twice!” her parents, Rob and Shannon Rayburn, say. She passed away after an asthma attack in 2023. Through her decision to register as an organ and tissue donor, she saved the lives of three and offered other gifts for research.
“She was one of the brightest, most curious kids,” says Shannon.
Her parents think she would be elated to learn that her decision saved the lives of others.
They describe her decision to register as a donor as “deliberate” and “intentional.” The Rayburns say the donation process has had a profound impact on themselves as well.
“It has helped to know that not all of our daughter is gone,” Shannon says.
Adison, an animal lover, lived with her girlfriend of five years and two cats before her passing. Her family described her as bright, curious, and unapologetically herself. Adison’s final act was a selfless decision that transformed the lives of many.
BREAKING MISCONCEPTIONS
One of the largest misconceptions about donation is that members of the LGBTQ+ community cannot register as an organ and tissue donor or receive a transplant. This is FALSE.
THE FACTS
Organ donation is regulated differently than other types of donation. LGBTQ+ or not, the eligibility of organ donors is regulated by Health and Human Services. Sexual orientation is neither a factor when determining someone’s suitability to donate or to get listed as a waiting list patient.
HIV and hepatitis C infections, while not exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community, no longer prevent the possibility of organ donation thanks to the HOPE Act of 2015. This act called for research into transplants between HIV-positive donors into HIV positive recipients. This process has since saved hundreds of lives. Learn more here.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates cornea and other tissue donation. Certain medical and lifestyle exclusion criteria may deny members from some avenues of donation, but medical professionals make those determinations after someone has passed. Regardless, anyone’s donation registration is valid.
Sexual orientation and gender identity or expression are never considered during on the side of transplantation, either. People on the waiting list are matched with available organs based on many factors, including blood type, body size, how sick they are, donor distance, tissue type and time on the waiting list by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO REGISTER
Julissa Rose Garcia, a talented softball player, tragically lost her life in December 2016 after an ATV accident. By then, Julissa’s family already knew how life-changing organ donation can be.
Her uncle, Chris Alvarado, mentions that several of their family members are organ recipients. Although the loss of life is tragic, and Alvarado says that the “grieving always remains,” the family finds comfort knowing that Julissa’s spirit continues to live on. They are grateful that she was able to help others.
Chris has first handedly seen the impact of organ and tissue donation, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he continuously encourages all family and friends to register. He says that if he were to describe the family’s donation journey in one word, he considers it “inspiring.”
SHARE LOVE. SHARE LIFE.
Organs are organs. There are truly no limitations to who can register as a donor. Throughout Pride Month, we encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community to register and celebrate the diversity that lies within the LGBTQ+, transplant and donation communities.
Sign up today at www.DonateLifeAZ.org or when you apply for or renew a driver’s license or state ID at an ADOT MVD office.