Jamie Reid/The Beaumont Enterprise

When Jeanette Sims received life-saving organs two years ago, she never wondered if the kidneys came from another black person.

But most likely, they did.

A kidney transplant is most successful when the donor and recipient are the same race or ethnicity, said Pam Silvestri, community education director for Southwest Transplant Alliance.

In black and Hispanic populations - where many people need organs and too few donate - people sometimes spend years waiting for an organ. Sometimes the wait is too long and the patient dies, Silvestri said.

Today marks the eighth anniversary of National Minority Donor Day, a time to teach people from all racial and ethnic groups about organ donation, Silvestri said. Hopefully, the education will prompt more people to donate, she said.

There are more than 85,000 Americans waiting for an organ transplant, Silvestri said.

Of those people, blacks make up 36 percent of people needing a transplant (about 30,600), but just 13 percent of the donors. In the Hispanic population, 17 percent of people need an organ (about 14,450), but Hispanics make up just 13 percent of the donors.

Blacks and Hispanics don't donate as much as whites because they are not asked to donate as often, Silvestri said.

The stereotype that minorities don't donate must be broken, she said.

"They donate as often as nonminorities if treated the same way," she said.

Most organs - including hearts, lungs and livers - must have the same blood type and organ size to transplant. But when transplanting kidneys, doctors must be more selective. Tissue type must also be a close match.

There are more than 20,000 black people waiting for a kidney, which most likely will come from another black person.

The Southwest Transplant Alliance, which educates people and approaches families about organ donation, has created two videos that they plan to show in Southeast Texas health fairs and churches starting this weekend.

One video that is aimed at Hispanics is in Spanish while the other has all black speakers.

In the videos, donor families tell their stories and explain their fears.

For example, some people fear they can't go to heaven without all their body parts. In the 10-minute video, the difference between a spiritual and earthly body is addressed.

"What about people who have their tonsils out?" Silvestri asked. "Or someone in war who gets a leg blown off?"

Once concerns and fears are discussed and the process is explained, people are more likely to donate their organs, she said.

When Beverly Jones' brother went brain dead last year, she wanted his organs to live on in other bodies. She knows his heart, kidneys, liver and lungs were transplanted.

"My brother was always giving and willing to give," Jones said. "It wasn't a hard decision for us."

The Jones family was familiar with both organ transplants and kidney failure.

Jones' grandfather and uncle had dialysis everyday, which cleansed their blood when their kidneys stopped working. Other family members had organ transplants.

Today, she encourages other people to also donate. It saves lives, she said.

Jeanette Sims, 21, of Beaumont received life-saving organs two years ago when her kidneys began to fail.

Sims, who went blind in high school from diabetes complications, gets frustrated and depressed because her life is so changed. Because she is blind, she can't cook a meal, walk by herself or pick out a matching outfit at the mall.

But, she knows she has something more important, life.

Today, she is free of insulin shots, kidney failure and pain. She is also free of diabetes, thanks to an organ donor.

8 quick questions about organ donation

Today is the 8th anniversary of National Minority Donor Awareness Day - a time set aside to educate people about the importance of organ and tissue donation. In recognition of this day, the Coalition on Donation created a quiz to test your knowledge of organ donation. How much do you know? Test yourself and see! Look for answers below the quiz.

1. Twelve percent of the U.S. population is African American. What percentage of patients awaiting kidney transplants are Black?

a. 6%

b. 10%

c. 25%

d. 35%

2. Blacks have the best chance of a successful kidney transplant if the donor is:

a. The same age

b. Black

c. Healthy

d. A first-time donor

3. Which of these conditions can lead to the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation?

a. High blood pressure

b. Diabetes

c. Both

4. A single organ and tissue donor can save or improve the lives of:

a. 10 people

b. 35 people

c. 50 people

d. 20 people

5. The Black church does not support organ and tissue donation.

TRUE or FALSE

6. On average, how many people die each day due to lack of organs?

a. 6 people

b. 0 people

c. 17 people

d. 3 people

7. The donor's family pays the cost of organ and tissue donation.

TRUE or FALSE

8. What is/are the most important step(s) in becoming an organ and tissue donor?

a. Inform my family members and loved ones of my decision

b. Indicate my intent on my driver's license

c. Carry an organ donor card

Source: Southwest Transplant Alliance

Quiz answers:

1 - D, 2 - B, 3 - C, 4 - C, 5 - FALSE, 6 - C, 7 - FALSE, 8 - A