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Local Organization Aims To Attract More Minority Organ Donors

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This is the 20th annual National Minority Donor Awareness Week, which encourages minority communities to become organ and tissue donors.

Ramona Howard is a Philadelphia native, she said arthritis medication caused her liver to fail.

"Usually one out of one hundred thousand people will be affected by this medication, and I just happened to be that one," she said.

Howard said that news caught her off guard.

"I had two sons in college, I was very very ill," she said. "I spent almost two years in the hospital. I was no longer able to work. It was a very difficult time for me."

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Photo credit: KYW's Justin Udo reports

Howard's stomach, pancreas, and intestines also started to fail, and she started to lose hope.

"I got to a point where I didn't think the transplant was going to happen, but I got an amazing call at 4:30 in the morning. I had a 15 hour surgery. At the end of that surgery I received four organs."

Events like this are intended to educate and help push people, especially minorities, to become organ donors. Gift of life said more than half of those waiting for a kidney in the region are non-white.

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Photo credit: KYW's Justin Udo

"I always say, it took God, it took the doctor, it took a donor and of course me the recipient. When they tell you it takes a village...it takes a village."

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