Every May, Nevada Donor Network is ecstatic to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Did you know? More than 9,000 Americans of the over 105,000 waiting for their second chance through organ donation are from the AANHPI community according to the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN). That means that 9% of people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the nation are from the AANHPI community. Additionally, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Asian Americans are less likely to be heroic organ donors when the pass away compared to Caucasian Americans. They averaged 3.1% of heroic organ donors in 2024. These disparities highlight the urgent need for more Asian Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. When we work together, we can shorten the gap between those needing organ transplants and the availability of these life-saving gifts. This would hopefully change the fact that 13 people pass away each day waiting for an organ transplant because there would be more gifts available to save their lives. The need is great because every eight minutes someone new is added to the national organ transplant waiting list which is managed by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS).
An important part of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is sharing the stories of heroic donors that we had the honor of serving. Meet Twilla. Twilla Nan Wakida was born on June 11, 1954, in Fort Benning, Georgia. She was the second of four children born to Eiko Shinzato Helms and Emmett Helms. During Twilla’s life, she lived in Georgia, Hawaiʻi, Japan, Las Vegas and South Carolina. She graduated in 1972 from Campbell High School on the island of O’ahu and was a member of her high school’s swim team. In 1980, Eddie and Twilla Wakida were married at Paradise Park in Mānoa Valley. A year later their daughter Kristine was born followed by their son Jonathan (four and a half years later). Twilla went back to school and earned her degree in paralegal studies in 2001 from Kapiʻolani Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi (a program accredited by the American Bar Association). During the final phase of her 27 years with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), she focused on large accounts in Southern Nevada and Western Arizona. Twilla retired in 2017 and enjoyed time with her family while pursuing interests she always had. She passed away on May 5, 2023. Twilla was an extremely generous person who was always helpful and available to all who needed her. She was a treasure trove of random information ranging from family history to earth science to 1960s trivia. Twilla loved family and friends including the canine variety, and they loved her. She loved cooking, hula, horses, nature and the colors green or purple. Twilla loved pictures whether it was receiving or taking them because it was something to remind her of happy times and the people she cared about. She loved to have a good time and enjoyed laughing. Twilla had one grandchild, Olivia, whom she loved more than anything in this world. Aloha ‘Oe… Until we meet again…
Are you inspired to become a heroic organ, eye and tissue donor? Register now!