Newswise — In recognition of National Donate Life Month, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is taking the opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation, specifically for pediatric patients, with Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. As one of the leading pediatric transplant centers in the nation, Lurie Children's is committed to educating the public about the life-saving impact of organ donation for children in need.
Every year, thousands of children in the United States require life-saving organ transplants. Lurie Children’s Siragusa Transplantation Center provides comprehensive care to children requiring organ transplants, including heart, kidney, liver, small bowel and stem cell transplants. Our multidisciplinary team of surgeons, specialists, nurses, and transplant coordinators work tirelessly to give children the best chance at a healthy, thriving life.
"Organ donation is truly the gift of life," said Juan Carlos Caicedo, MD, FACS, Division Head of Transplant & Advanced Hepatobiliary Surgery and Surgical Director for the Siragusa Transplantation Center at Lurie Children’s. "It is essential for families to understand the profound impact that organ donation can have on the lives of children who are waiting for a second chance. Each year, our center performs on average 50 stem cell transplants and 70 solid organ transplants which is the largest number of pediatric organ transplants at a single center in Illinois.”
Lurie Children’s has seen firsthand the incredible outcomes made possible through organ donation. Thanks to the ongoing commitment to high quality care, research, and compassionate approach to every patient-family, the hospital’s Siragusa Transplantation Center ranks among the top pediatric transplant centers in the country, not just in volume, but in patient survival rates. In calendar year 2024, the hospital performed 142 pediatric solid organ and stem cell transplants, a record for Lurie Children’s.
“It’s an honor to partner with Lurie Children’s Hospital, which works tirelessly to give so many children a fighting chance at a healthy life through the lifesaving impact of organ donation,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose office maintains one of the largest organ and tissue donation registries in the nation with more than six million donors. “Increasing awareness during National Donate Life Month – and throughout the year – is crucial, because the more people know about organ donation, its benefits, and the impact that it has on lives, the more likely they are to become donors.”
Lurie Children’s led the nation in performing the most kidney transplants 44 at a pediatric transplant center and was second in the nation for pediatric heart transplantations in 2024. Lurie Children’s (Children’s Memorial Hospital at the time) performed Illinois’ first pediatric heart transplant in 1988. Lurie Children’s Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Program is widely known for its ability to provide lifesaving treatment to infants, children and young adults with severe heart disease. Despite the complexity of patients’ conditions, the hospital’s patient outcomes are better than national averages for pediatric transplant centers.
In 1964, Lurie Children’s performed Illinois’ first kidney transplant and, today, our Pediatric Kidney Transplantation Program is recognized as the nation's leader, not only in volume but also in outcomes, having performed well over 800 kidney transplants, with half being living donor transplants. Lurie Children’s pediatric kidney transplant outcomes are the best in the country, including an exceptional 100 percent patient and graft survival rate at one month, one year, and three years.
The liver transplant program at Lurie Children’s is one of the most experienced in the country, and recently celebrated a significant milestone of completing 500 liver transplants. The liver transplant program is well known for transplanting some of the most complex cases, including small infants, technical variant grafts, multiple organ transplants, and has a robust living donor program with Northwestern Memorial.
These transplants are made possible by the selfless decision of others to be an organ and tissue donor.
“We are proud of our long-standing work with Lurie Children’s Hospital and grateful for their dedication to clinical excellence, compassion and commitment to saving and enhancing lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.” said Harry Wilkins, MD, President/CEO of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network.
It’s simple to register to become an organ and tissue donor. To learn more about how you can register to be an organ and tissue donor, visit & Tissue Donor Network" href="none" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. (or, visit giftofhope.org)
About Lurie Children’s:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is the only independent, research-driven children’s hospital in Illinois and one of less than 30 nationally. This is where the top doctors go to train, practice pediatric medicine, teach, advocate, research and stay up to date on the latest treatments. Exclusively focused on children, all Lurie Children’s resources are devoted to serving their needs. Research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, which is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
About Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network:
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is the nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides public education on donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana. As one of 55 OPOs that make up the nation’s organ donation system, Gift of Hope works with 180 hospitals and serves 12 million people in its donation service area. Since 1986, its work has saved the lives of more than 29,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. For more information, visit giftofhope.org.
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