Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times

Beginning next year, a new organ registration program for Texas will make it easier for El Pasoans like the Curtis family to find an available organ match.

"My son was on the emergency organ waiting list for four years, and was at the top of the national list for a year," said Sandy Curtis, mother of a boy who received a life-saving kidney transplant in 1999. "He was born without kidneys, and we had a long wait because he was a hard match. The organ registry program will make it easier for anyone to donate their organs."

She said her son, 13-year-old Wayne Curtis, received a kidney that came from a 30-year-old woman attorney in Dallas whose family donated her organs after she died.

The state Legislature passed a law that creates the Donor Education, Awareness, and Registry Program, also known as DEAR.

"This registry will give organ recovery agencies an additional tool to help increase the number of organs available for transplant," said Jim Cutler, president and CEO of the Southwest Transplant Alliance. Under the new Texas law, people will be able to officially let it be known that they want to be organ donors upon death.

According to the alliance, 6,000 Texas men, women and children are awaiting organ transplants. Paula Duran, regional client services coordinator for Southwest Transplant Alliance, said the registry will provide a more efficient method than the old card system for organ donors to make their wishes known.

"Under the new system, we will have 24-hour access to the organ registry, and people will be able to register their wishes online," she said.

Alliance representatives said some people are reluctant to become donors because they mistakenly think hospitals will not try their best to save them if they know they are willing to donate their organs.

A $1 voluntary fee when renewing either the license or vehicle registration is expected to cover the costs of the program.