Honoring National Donate Life Month: How Texas Children’s transforms lives through transplant care

Every April, National Donate Life Month raises awareness about the importance of organ donation and honors those who give the gift of life. For families whose children face organ failure, that gift can be lifesaving. At Texas Children’s Hospital, world-class transplant care gives children a second chance at life — and offers hope to the families who love them.

Texas Children’s has performed more heart, liver, kidney and lung transplants than any other pediatric hospital in the United States for the past 7 years. With survival outcomes among the best in the nation, the hospital is a leader in caring for children with the most serious and complex medical needs.

A team approach for complex care

Transplants are about more than surgery. At Texas Children’s, a team of experts works together to care for the whole child — and the whole family. Surgeons, nurses, transplant specialists, dietitians, social workers, psychologists and child life experts collaborate throughout the process, from evaluation to long-term follow-up.

This team-based approach, along with decades of experience, enables Texas Children’s to take on cases that may be considered too risky elsewhere. Since the program began, the hospital has performed more than 2,300 transplants, including in newborns and infants with limited options.

Keeping children stable while they await transplant

For very sick children, the hospital provides “bridge to transplant” care — treatments that help keep organs functioning while they wait for a donor. For example, Texas Children’s has had success using ECMO (a machine that supports heart and lung function) before lung transplants, a difficult strategy other hospitals may not attempt. Other therapies like MARS for those awaiting liver transplant and advanced dialysis for those awaiting kidney transplant help maintain stability until an organ becomes available.

Texas Children’s is also committed to helping more children access transplants. By working with national networks and providing resources for our team to travel for donor organs, the hospital has significantly reduced wait times. The lung transplant program, for example, performs over 30% of all pediatric lung transplants in the country, with a median wait time of just two months.

Expanding access through advanced techniques

To help more children receive transplants, Texas Children’s also performs complex procedures like multi-organ transplants (in which more than one organ is transplanted at the same time) and ABO-incompatible liver transplants (in which the donor and recipient don’t have the same blood type). The ability to perform these complex procedures increases the pool of potential donors for those awaiting transplant. Texas Children’s is also one of the few centers in the U.S. that performs split liver transplants, giving two children a second chance at life from one donor organ.

The hospital’s heart transplant team also treats adults with congenital heart disease — a group that often requires specialized pediatric expertise even in adulthood. Texas Children’s is also home to the Uterus Transplant Research Program, the nation’s first uterine transplant program housed within a pediatric transplant hospital. This innovative program offers uterus transplantation as a treatment for some women who don’t have a uterus.

Improving the future through research

Beyond surgery, the hospital leads research to improve outcomes. Texas Children’s is studying new ways to detect rejection early, reduce side effects from medications and improve long-term organ health. One recent showed that certain vaccines can be safely given to children before liver transplant, offering added protection.

Partnering with families 

This April, during National Donate Life Month, Texas Children’s also honors the donors and families who make these lifesaving transplants possible. Their generosity gives children a chance to grow up, go to school and live full lives.

Families considering transplant care can rely on Texas Children’s for expert support every step of the way. The hospital works closely with referring doctors to ensure children continue to receive high-quality care long after their surgery.

Organ donation transforms lives. This month — and every month — Texas Children’s is proud to help make that transformation possible.