By Dr. Ed Delz, DDS
At Jackson Memorial Hospital a family stood at the bedside of the son they loved dearly saying their final goodbyes. It was Valentine’s Day in 1998.
After many tests and the examination of two independent physicians, their loved one was diagnosed as having no brain activity. They would never know him again in life, only in their memories. They would never see him, hug him, or feel the warmth of his smile.
Despite all their issues and considerations, they knew that their dreams and aspirations for him could only be achieved by his gift of life to someone in need of a life- saving organ. He left the operating room with the customary rose on his chest that attests to the fact that he was a very special human being — an organ donor.
After a year on the waiting list for a liver transplant, having lost mine to a needle stick from a patient I had treated, I left a different operating room thirteen hours later, having received this young man's liver, the dreams and aspirations of his family, and the responsibility to live a life that his family could be proud of.
We have lived together in a symbiotic relationship for ten years. His gift of life has allowed me to treat the patients at our dental practice with the same quality care and concern that we have received in our life.
We went to Switzerland and skied in the world winter transplant Olympics. We have practiced the martial art of Aikido for 10 years and recently passed our first kyu test. Our next test will be for a black belt. We have been certified as a senior instructor in the International Association for Orthodontics and we speak nationally on adult orthodontic treatment.
We demonstrate what life can be like as a transplant and the difference organ donation can make in the world. We speak locally about organ donation and transplant, since it is a new Medical Paradigm and only a whisper in the wind in most people's lives.
Nineteen people die every day waiting on a list. That is 7,300 people a year. These facts will only become important if you go on the list. It is easy for our mind to accept the concept and the need for a vital organ transplant. But it is more difficult to accept the concept of organ donation and voluntarily sign an organ donor card. That process presents more misconceptions than factual information. The waiting list continues to grow due to the diagnostic skills of the medical community and the choice of transplant as a possible treatment for an end stage organ failure.
The statistics for liver transplant for 2007 attest to the lack of organ donation. There were 17,000 patients on the waiting list. The number of liver transplants performed was 6,200 and 11,000 new patients were added to the list. Each patient added to the list has a 39% chance of a life-saving transplant, and 13% will die during that wait. As human beings, we were not supposed to live forever but transplant has added many productive years for many people. Only through education will more lives be saved.
Dr. Delz is available to speak to your group or organization. He enjoys the art of dentistry and the difference he makes in his patients lives. He also enjoys the martial art of Aikido which he started two months after his transplant. Dr Delz can be contacted at 954-782-9111 or at
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Dr. Ed Delz, DDS
At Jackson Memorial Hospital a family stood at the bedside of the son they loved dearly saying their final goodbyes. It was Valentine’s Day in 1998.
After many tests and the examination of two independent physicians, their loved one was diagnosed as having no brain activity. They would never know him again in life, only in their memories. They would never see him, hug him, or feel the warmth of his smile.
Despite all their issues and considerations, they knew that their dreams and aspirations for him could only be achieved by his gift of life to someone in need of a life- saving organ. He left the operating room with the customary rose on his chest that attests to the fact that he was a very special human being — an organ donor.
After a year on the waiting list for a liver transplant, having lost mine to a needle stick from a patient I had treated, I left a different operating room thirteen hours later, having received this young man's liver, the dreams and aspirations of his family, and the responsibility to live a life that his family could be proud of.
We have lived together in a symbiotic relationship for ten years. His gift of life has allowed me to treat the patients at our dental practice with the same quality care and concern that we have received in our life.
We went to Switzerland and skied in the world winter transplant Olympics. We have practiced the martial art of Aikido for 10 years and recently passed our first kyu test. Our next test will be for a black belt. We have been certified as a senior instructor in the International Association for Orthodontics and we speak nationally on adult orthodontic treatment.
We demonstrate what life can be like as a transplant and the difference organ donation can make in the world. We speak locally about organ donation and transplant, since it is a new Medical Paradigm and only a whisper in the wind in most people's lives.
Nineteen people die every day waiting on a list. That is 7,300 people a year. These facts will only become important if you go on the list. It is easy for our mind to accept the concept and the need for a vital organ transplant. But it is more difficult to accept the concept of organ donation and voluntarily sign an organ donor card. That process presents more misconceptions than factual information. The waiting list continues to grow due to the diagnostic skills of the medical community and the choice of transplant as a possible treatment for an end stage organ failure.
The statistics for liver transplant for 2007 attest to the lack of organ donation. There were 17,000 patients on the waiting list. The number of liver transplants performed was 6,200 and 11,000 new patients were added to the list. Each patient added to the list has a 39% chance of a life-saving transplant, and 13% will die during that wait. As human beings, we were not supposed to live forever but transplant has added many productive years for many people. Only through education will more lives be saved.
Dr. Delz is available to speak to your group or organization. He enjoys the art of dentistry and the difference he makes in his patients lives. He also enjoys the martial art of Aikido which he started two months after his transplant. Dr Delz can be contacted at 954-782-9111 or at
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