Wir überwinden Grenzen

Joint initiative by the City of Freiburg, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, the German Organ Transplant Association and more than 20 players from sport, business and society promotes the decision to donate organs

Organ or tissue donation can save lives after death. However, very few people have yet to decide whether a donation is an option for them. Changing this is the aim of the #FreiburgEntscheidetSich initiative, which was launched on Monday, April 8, 2024. The campaign is supported by the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, the City of Freiburg and the Federal Association of Organ Transplant Patients. More than 20 players from sport, business and society have joined the initiative. The common goal is to encourage as many people as possible to make the decision to donate organs and tissue, to document their decision and to talk about it with others. The patron is Freiburg's Lord Mayor Martin Horn. Campaigns, information events, social media activities and much more are planned. The campaign runs until September 30. New partners are welcome at any time. Current information can be found at www.freiburgentscheidetsich.de

"We want the campaign to provide food for thought. Because the topic of organ donation should no longer be taboo. Everyone should find out about it and then make a personal decision. This is vital for many of our fellow human beings," says Lord Mayor Martin Horn.

According to a survey by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), 84 percent of respondents are open to organ donation. "In our intensive care units, we unfortunately find that just one in seven people have recorded their decision to donate organs in writing," says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Officer of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "A clearly documented decision relieves the burden on relatives and can potentially save lives. That's why it's crucial that everyone makes a decision. This is where the digital organ donor register can play an important role. It is a strong sign that the #FreiburgEntscheidetSich campaign is supported by so many partners from business and society."

Burkhard Tapp from the South Baden regional group of the Bundesverband der Organtransplantierten e.V. shares his personal perspective: "Organ donation has given me 22 years of life to date. During my monthly consultation at the university hospital, I see that the decision to donate organs is vital for the survival of seriously ill patients. #FreiburgDecides also reminds us that behind every statistic there is a life, a family, a story. Let's work together to ensure that more of these stories have a happy ending."

Dr. Christina Schleicher, Managing Physician of the Baden-Württemberg region of the German Organ Transplantation Foundation, addresses the urgency: "Although we have recently been able to increase organ donation figures in Baden-Württemberg thanks to the great commitment of all those involved in identifying potential organ donors, they are still far too low in view of the many people on the waiting lists. The often lacking documentation of the decision remains a major challenge for physicians and relatives alike."

At the Medical Center - University of Freiburg alone, around 380 people are waiting for an often life-saving donor organ, compared to around 8,400 people nationwide. 21 organ donors were successfully placed by the Medical Center - University of Freiburg in 2023, the highest figure in Germany. A total of 397 organs from Baden-Württemberg were transplanted nationwide and abroad in 2023: 206 kidneys, 104 livers, 45 hearts, 35 lungs and 7 pancreases.

Planned activities (excerpt):

• April 13: Information stand of the Federal Association of Organ Transplant Patients in Freiburg city center, Kaiser-Joseph-Straße / Schiffstraße
• April 25, 6.30 p.m.: Evening of decision(s): Short lectures and panel discussion with those affected, transplant recipients and physicians* from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg in the lecture hall of the University Women's Hospital, Hugstetter Straße 55, Freiburg
• April27: Numerous activities around the match day of SC Freiburg against VfL Wolfsburg
• June 1: Organ Donation Day on the Platz der Alten Synagoge, main nationwide event in Freiburg, more information to follow
• July 3, 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.: "Organ Donation for General Practitioners" information evening in the lecture hall of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and the Freiburg District Medical Association, registration required, more information to follow
• July 16, 7 p.m.:Ethics and transplantation medicine: Panel discussion on life, death and organ donation. Further information and registration via www.katholische-akademie-freiburg.de

Patient example 1:

Anita Singh-Carl (40) already suffered from kidney failure as a child. She had to wait over a year for a donor kidney, partly because her health was so poor that a transplant was not possible. On May 14, 1992, a suitable organ was finally found and Singh-Carl received a kidney transplant at the age of 11. The donor kidney functioned perfectly for 24 years. But since 2016, the nurse has had to go back to dialysis several times a week and is back on the transplant list: "Every call can be the one call I'm waiting for."

Patient example 2:

On a Friday in June 2018, a previously healthy and physically active 51-year-old man returned to Freiburg from an after-work bike ride. At home, he suffered a stroke and lost consciousness shortly afterwards; three days and several strokes later, he was diagnosed with irreversible loss of brain function, also known as brain death. The relatives searched for an organ donor card, a will or a living will. But none of these were available. In the end, several relatives had to make a joint decision in which they agreed to donate organs on the basis of the deceased's presumed wishes. The heart, liver and kidneys were successfully and permanently transplanted. An organ donor card would have significantly eased the burden on relatives.

All partners of the #FreiburgEntscheidetSich campaign (as of April 8, 2024):

• AOK - Die Gesundheitskasse Südlicher Oberrhein
• Artemed (Lorettokrankenhaus / Josefskrankenhaus)
• Organ donation education Freiburg - AG of the medical student council (OFAMED)
• Badenova
• Federal Association of Organ Transplant Patients (BDO)
• Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA)
• Alliance 52-Association Cooperation Baden-Württemberg
• German Organ Transplantation Foundation (DSO)
• Protestant University of Applied Sciences Freiburg
• Protestant Diaconal Hospital Freiburg
• Freiburger Turnerschaft von 1844 e.V.
• Freiburger Verkehrs AG (VAG)
• JobRad GmbH
• Catholic Academy of the Archdiocese of Freiburg
• Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Pharmacists
• Freiburg University of Education
• PTSV Jahn e.V.
• Self-help office Freiburg
• Sport-Club Freiburg e.V.
• City of Freiburg
• Freiburg City Library
• Organ donation day
• Theater Freiburg
• University of Freiburg
• Medical Center - University of Freiburg
• z'Friburg in der Stadt e. V. - Action group for trade and commerce in Freiburg city center

Caption (from left to right): Dr. Christina Schleicher (DSO), Martin Horn (City of Freiburg), Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz (Medical Center - University of Freiburg), Burkard Tapp (BDO)