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Group sees spike in organ donations from overdose victims

Posted at 5:26 PM, Apr 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-24 22:05:21-04

WAYLAND, Mich. -- Opioid overdoses are blamed for hundreds of deaths each day across the United States, but one organization says some victims' organs are finding new life.

Those with Gift of Life Michigan say they continue to see a large increase in organ donations from people who have died from a drug overdose.

"Last year, in 2017, that was 16 percent of the donors," says Alison Gillum with Gift of Life Michigan.

A decade ago, that number was only about 1.5 percent.

"When somebody dies from a drug overdose, that simply just affects their brain, it doesn't affect their organs in any way," Gillum says. "So they're able to donate their organs, they're typically viable for transplant."

Gillum says it's a safe process, with donor organs going through a number of tests before a transplant.  While Gift of Life wants to see a solution to the opioid epidemic, she says at least something positive can come from a bleak situation.

"It's an amazing thing for the families of somebody's loved one that died from a drug overdose, to be able to meet the recipients of those gifts," she said. "And often times it's multiple people whose lives have been saved."

Still, Gillum says the need for organ donors is still high.

"There are still so many people waiting for transplants," she said. "Here in Michigan there are more than 3,200 people waiting for a life-saving transplant. Nationally, it's closer to 115,000."