Kara Cater of Cranberry Township has Alport Syndrome, a genetic disease that can cause kidney disease. Her kidneys have been in decline for 17 years and, without a kidney transplant, she will likely need dialysis at some point.

Cater is likely one of many in Butler County who are in need of an organ transplant.

According to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, the number of living organ donors is more than 6,000 per year, and one in four of these donors are not biologically related to the recipient. CORE also states there are around 7,000 people in Pennsylvania waiting for an organ donation of some kind. The organization also reports that a record number of people — 472 — donated organs in the service area that includes Western Pennsylvania in 2024.

Living donors can offer one kidney, one of two lobes of their liver and a lobe of one lung to friends, family members or even strangers.

Several people have offered Cater a kidney, but for one reason or another the offers haven’t worked out.

CORE says altruistic donors who are known by the recipient benefit the organ donation process in several ways. When a kidney is donated, for example, without a dedicated recipient, the transplant center is able to determine how it will be used.

One way it could be used to help multiple transplants occur by starting a chain donation in which several donors trade organs to various recipients to ensure their loved ones get the organs they need. For example, if a mother can’t donate a kidney to her daughter for some reason but her kidney could go to another patient, and that patient also has a failed potential donor willing to donate to another patient to keep the chain going, several people can receive what they need even though their relatives weren’t able to donate directly to them.

Organ donation is incredibly important and, for those who are able to do it, it’s such a wonderful way to contribute to humanity. What an incredibly selfless gift to share that not only saves a life, but hopefully lasts a lifetime.

For more information, visit core.org and to sign up to potentially become Cater’s donor or a donor for another patient, visit livingdonorreg.upmc.com.

— KL