"I was first diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma when I was four. Over the years, I have had 23 surgeries to add pieces of bone as I was growing. My survival rate was 28%. Without donor bone I probably would have had all metal in my leg and would have had a tougher recovery time."
- Kelly Hills
Considering a bone or tissue transplant?
Bone and tissue grafts are used in many types of surgeries, offering recipients the chance for greater mobility, relief from constant pain, improved healing and the return to a normal quality of life. Allografts are used to replace damaged heart valves and skin. They are also frequently used in orthopedic surgery to replace tendons or bones damaged by trauma, tumors or other conditions.
According to data from the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), approximately 1.5 million bone and tissue allografts are distributed each year by AATB-accredited tissue banks in the U.S. The success rate in procedures using smaller allografts approaches 100 percent. Transplants of long bones or joints have a long-term success rate of about 80 percent.
As the most knowledgeable and experienced tissue resource in the Northwest, we work hard every day to provide high quality tissue products and services. Since our establishment in 1988, Northwest Tissue Services has provided more than 100,000 high-quality safe allografts to patients in the Northwest and around the country.