Thirty-five percent of those that need kidney transplants are African American. We are not thirty-five percent of the population. Hypertension, a condition particularly prevalent among Blacks is often a contributing factor to renal maladies, factoring into some cases of kidney failure. This is something we can do for ourselves. Gibbs' organization has researched the reason behind the shortage, and topping the list is the lack of information about the concept of organ donation.
People are very much in the dark about the whole concept.
Religious beliefs and superstition also contribute to the shortage. Or that in order to see God, you have to have your eyes. One arm, one wing. Gibbs says that LifeShare has documentation on the position of organ donation from the major religions. A measure of distrust of the medical community also seems to play a role in the reasons for the low rate of organ donations.