ST. LOUIS — Orville Allen lived a lifetime of service, and when he died at the age of 98, he had one last thing to give: his liver.
Allen, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War and a longtime teacher in rural southeastern Missouri, is the oldest American to ever donate an organ, transplant organizations said. He died on May 29 and his liver was successfully transplanted into a 72-year-old woman Transplantation in Central America.
Allen was in good health until he fell May 27 while picking up storm debris at his home in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, said his daughter Linda Mitchelle. He was struck in the back of the head and was flown to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.
The swelling around Allen’s brain could not be healed. As the family prepared to say goodbye, hospital staff had a question: Would they consider donating his liver?
Considering Allen’s age, it was a question that surprised family members. But surgeons had examined him and determined that the organ was acceptable for transplantation.
Knowing their father’s nature – always the first to visit, always on the doorstep of a needy neighbor – the siblings did not hesitate.
“It went from a sad loss of our father to a little ray of joy because he was doing what he had done all his life,” Mitchelle said. “He gave another gift.”
Previously, Cecil Lockhart from West Virginia was the oldest person to donate an organ after death, according to the American newspaper Center for Organ Recovery & Education, who coordinated the recovery of his liver. He was 95 when he died in 2021, and his liver was successfully transplanted into a woman.
More people than ever are receiving new organs, data from the United Organ Sharing Networkor UNOS, a nonprofit organization that has managed the transplant system under government contract for nearly four decades. According to UNOS, last year was a record year for donations from the deceased – more than 16,000 – and for the number of organ transplants performed – more than 46,000. The number of liver transplants exceeded 10,000 for the first time ever.
Yet there are well over 100,000 people on the national list for a new organ, and many will die waiting. The need is so great that scientists are too working on alternatives to alleviate ongoing shortages. Earlier this year, Richard “Rick” Slayman became the first recipient from a genetically modified pig kidney. He died two months after the transplant.
Increasingly, older adults are able to donate organs after death, said Kevin Lee, president and CEO of Mid-America Transplant.
“As we have seen advances in medical science, over the past five years we have taught nurses and hospital staff not to think about age when turning to these referrals, but to really empower our medical team and transplant physicians to assess medical fitness. judge. of each individual,” Lee said.
Two years ago, a liver was obtained from a 90-year-old donor in the Central America region, which includes eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeastern Arkansas, Lee said. Last fall, livers were donated by an 88-year-old and an 84-year-old.
The liver “is resilient. We see liver donations at all ages,” Lee said.
About 12% of organ donors who died in the first four months of this year were people aged 65 or older, UNOS spokeswoman Anne Paschke said.
“Organ donation at an older age can be successful and provide life-saving benefits for recipients,” says Dr. David Klassen, head of UNOS’s medical department, said in a statement. But the impact of aging varies by organ, he said. In fact, many transplant centers will not consider hearts from older donors.
Allen was a lifelong resident of southeastern Missouri. He was a pilot in the Army Air Corps in World War II and then served in artillery communications in the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division in the Korean War. After the wars, he spent 27 years in the Army Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
He also farmed and taught vocational agriculture at Neelyville High School, near Poplar Bluff, for nearly forty years. He and his wife of 70 years, Geraldine, who died in 2019, had three children, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
He was never able to register as an organ donor, but the family said they hope his story will encourage more people to register.
In fact, they said, it already is.
“A whole group of people at the visitation and funeral, former students and friends, said, ‘You know what? I’m going to put donor on my driver’s license right now,” Mitchelle said.
Greg Allen, one of Orville’s sons, said the opportunity to donate their father’s organ was uplifting during an otherwise sad time.
“To me, it’s just a wonderful thing to be able to help someone else, anyone, extend their life for their family,” Greg Allen said.
