Gudelia Bustamante, with husband, Bob, wears her prayer, or healing, blanket, is back home in time for the holidays.
JOHN WALKER — THE FRESNO BEE
Gudelia Bustamante's heart-liver transplant prompted her husband Bob to become an outspoken supporter of organ donation -- and a role model for the Latino community.
"Many Hispanics don't believe in organ donations," the Tulare man said. "All of our family members are registered organ donors now."
He has agreed to be an ambassador for Donate A Life, a support group.
Cultural barriers can impede organ donation registration, experts say.
Many Latinos view planning for death as inviting bad luck, said Elena de la Cruz, spokeswoman for One Legacy, which coordinates organ donations for seven counties in the greater Los Angeles Area and Kern County.
"Open casket funerals are very important, and people think you'll be disfigured," she said.
Yet when Latino families are asked directly at the hospital to donate a loved one's organs after they have died, they are likely to consent, statistics show.
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"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor in California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.
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