JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No words can truly describe how much Naishanda Larramore loved her husband Leonard Wayne Larramore.
“His heart was so big literally and figurately. He was such a sweet person,” said Naishanda Larramore, a local organ donor activist.
In 2015 Leonard was unexpectedly diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Shortly after his diagnosis, Leonard needed a heart transplant. For six months they searched for a donor but had no luck. In January 2017 the couple got married and four months later Leonard died.
“One day after his birthday. His birthday was April 24 and then he passed away the next day,” Naishanda Larramore said.
Naishanda says one of the reasons why Leonard couldn’t find the right organ match is because not enough people of color are registered as organ donors.
According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, only 23% of deceased donor organ recipients are African American.
A Black organ recipient doesn’t have to have a Black donor but would be more likely to have a successful match.
“A lot of people don’t understand the background that you need. It matters about your height, it matters about your weight. Your blood type matters. He was 6-foot-1, 300-plus,” said Larramore.
In the United States, there’s an organ transplant shortage. One of the biggest contributing factors is the lack of organ donors.
Surgeons have turned to animal organs transplants. Last month doctors at NYU Langone Health successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human.
Dr. Robert Montgomery of NYU’s Langone Transplant Institute said this brings new hope for the future.
“This breakthrough represents new hope that the future will be different for my kids and for anyone waiting for a lifesaving organ. No one should die waiting,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery.
About 8,000 people die every year waiting for the organs they need. Naishanda Larramore is acting locally with her non-profit Save1000Lives. Her mission is to raise awareness about organ donation especially to communities of color.
For more information visit Save1000Lives.com.