Assumptions about organs

[SomeDanGuy]

It somehow came up during pathology lab that a young man my professor knew needed a heart transplant, and that it was lucky he was a dual citizen with Italy because he would've died if he had waited to get one here. He went to Italy and got a transplant no problem there. We asked why it's so different in Europe and apparently it's because of the direction they make an assumption about organ donation. In the U.S., it assumed you do NOT want to donate your organs; you have to specify on your license that you do. In some other countries, they actually assume you DO want to donate organs, unless you specify otherwise.

So what do you guys think? My guess is that a lot of people would be fine with donating their organs, but don't get around to filling out the form because it's an extra thing to do and because death is not something people like to think about. I could be wrong though. Maybe people are really against it, and I don't understand why.

Have you all remembered to sign your driver's license donation box?

[Rayne]

I keep signing mine, but it wears off. I have a paper though with my power of attorney and all that other medical paperwork that states my wishes.

*sigh* the joys of medical illnesses....

[saechalyn]

Have you all remembered to sign your driver's license donation box?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hell yes.

I agree with all of that~ it's not like they wouldn't be able to choose not to, though I don't understand why someone wouldn't want to donate their organs. I suppose if they had some deeply held religious belief about the way bodies should be treated after death that would sort of make sense, but I'm not religious so I can't fully wrap my head around it. I think in this country we have some pretty undeveloped ideas about the way we handle (or don't handle) death in general.

[n0Mad]

Mine keeps wearing off too. I think we should be like Europe and just harvest organs unless specified not too.

By the way, can I have your kidneys? I have a bed of ice in my bathtub all set up.

[Homicidalheathen]

My sis worked as a nurse in an emergency room. She told me NOT to fill out the organ donor card....or the science experiment card. She said there are unsrupulous doctors that will let a older, sicker....not so well off....person die if they think the kidney will fit in the kid who is sick upstairs. There is allot of money to be had here.....In some countries people actually sell organs now.

Its like a pawn broker except you cannot get it back..heh.

I don't know if this is all true but she also said student make jokes and play with the donated bodies and parts and that she did not want that to happen to my corpse. I could care a less about what happens to it....once I am done with it.

[Steven]

4 years ago I gave my left kidney to a freind of ours. She was dying and had been on the donor list for many years. What I never realized (most people dont) is how hard that life is on the waiting list. You cant ever go anywhere beyond 2 hours of the hospital inc ase someoen dies that is a potential tissue match. Many cadaver tissue matches fail after transplantation.

Since then shes gotten married, bought a house, and jsut adopted a baby girl. I never realized until afterward, how deep that form of giving really goes, and how many lives ar really touched.

cadaver donation is also wonderful - but live tissue donation (obviously limited) has a much higher rate of success.

Faith is what you give folks, faith. And hope. Pretty important in this world. Every person reading this post can save, and change a life. But the real gift is to yourself.

Steven

And somethign to think about especially during this hoiliday season.

[Homicidalheathen]

You must be one of the greatest people on this site. I love you Steven.

That is just one of the best things I have ever heard, and unselfish.....that anyone has ever done in their life.

Everyone agree?

[saechalyn]

Wow Steven, that's incredible. Way to go.

[Fierce Critter]

At the risk of becoming my mother, who is an intensely paranoid, fearful, conspiracy-theorist to the nth degree, I am extremely reluctant to be an organ donor for the same reasons stated by HH above.

I hate that, contrary to the cautious but unfearful way I usually run my life, I am too afraid that someone would take advantage of me in an unprotected moment and hasten my death so they could harvest my organs.

A recent episode (rerun) of ER had a nurse talking a widow into donating her husband's organs, explaining that as many as 60 people can benefit from one single person's donations. Restored eyesight for 2 people. Kidneys for 2. Livers for several. Skin for burn patients. On and on and on. It made me think twice.

But I'm still too fearful to do more than just think about it. =(

[Steven]

Thank you folks but dont misunderstand - its not about me, its about challenging yourself to do more than you think you could normally do.

I am usually a bit reluctant to talk about it (the donation) because it makes people uncomfortable and that makes ME uncomfortable, but at the same time I 'm thankful the topic came up because its very important.

And this is the truth, before Sunny got sick (Sunny is the girl who has my kidney) I never even once thought about being an organ donor and the idea actually kind of made me squeamish. Thats the real truth. But then I saw her struggle just to live, and I would bitch about my own so called problems but I was not dying - and I could not justify that to myself once I saw it for what it was:

Sunny had real problems. And I really didint. I might not make the rent, but she might not make tommorow. Wasent even close.

And then I felt like out of all the times I had cried out to God to "DO SOMETHING" about this world .... I felt like I was feeling a reply that said very simply:

"I DID - I made you".

And the thing that was/is the most sobering of all is that all throughout the testing phase - every Doctor and Nurse and Blood specialist and even the Hospital Head Shrinker kept asking me if I was related to Sunny or if she was my best friend or if I grew up with her or something. And when I would reply "No, she's just a buddy of my wife's from her Drama class in school" they would always walk away shaking their heads.

And that was hard for me to understand.

Why did she have to be related to me or have once saved my cats life or something before she was worthy of helping? Why couldent she just be Sunny who was going to die and now she's not?

So that's why I posted this an now I'll leave it alone.

Maybe one or two of you, will have a Sunny of your own.

And Critter - I totally understand the fear of possibly being hastened along to death in order to have your organs harvested and thats ok to feal that way. But were never really in control of our own lives anyway are we? So take what I got and use it if you can, maybe some day something wonderful will happen because of that person anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving folks.

Steve

[Saephyr]

It's on file via the WWW

You can elect to be a donor on the internet folks just go look on the DMV website. It's all right there.

I had 2 stepsons once.

One was born terminally ill. Now nothing mind you, would have saved him from his disease ok? However it is possable that sometimes a bit of research can open a whole new world when it comes to genetic diseases.

Brett is gone now. It's ok because he would have wanted it that way.

If you could have helped my stepson live a day longer, feel GOOD for a day or even be able to hear, speak or comprehend a word...wouldn't you do it?

We'll need help someday ya know so why not do something now? :grin

[Scary Guy]

Yeha I actually don't want my orgins donated.

When I go, all of me goes, and all of me stays gone.

When you die you actually become toxic waste in the eyes of the US and thats exactly how you're treated.

[Shade Everdark]

Funny.

I already am toxic waste, and I don't think I'm near death yet.

[Saephyr]

I've always wanted to be a piece of research for a cause.

Not for some jackass lebido for a change ya know?

With all the illness I encounter i SHOULD be required to be a donor.

After they take what they want ...what happens to the rest of you?

[Steven]

I've always wanted to be a piece of research for a cause.

Not for some jackass lebido for a change ya know?

With all the illness I encounter i SHOULD be required to be a donor.

After they take what they want ...what happens to the rest of you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

depends on you and your family.

but see if you donate while your still alive (kidney or liv er lobe) ....then you get a party and some belly busters from Brays.

But then again - if you donate when your dead (whatever they need) then ultimately - your final act on this earth was to give life and hope, and nobody can ever take that from you.

[Steven]

It's on file via the WWW

You can elect to be a donor on the internet folks just go look on the DMV website. It's all right there.

  I had 2 stepsons once.

One was born terminally ill. Now nothing mind you, would have saved him from his disease ok? However it is possable that sometimes a bit of research can open a whole new world when it comes to genetic diseases.

  Brett is gone now. It's ok because he would have wanted it that way.

If you could have helped my stepson live a day longer, feel GOOD for a day or even be able to hear, speak or comprehend a word...wouldn't you do it?

  We'll need help someday ya know so why not do something now? :grin

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

this was an important post and point to make.

Sunny (the girl who got my kidney) has no gaurantees.

She could in fact - reject the kidney tommorow and be back in trouble agian - these things happen. Its been 4 years though - and shes doing awesome.

Still - she might get 10 years out of the kidney, or less, or more - nobody ever knows, it does not last forever.

But her life - her life equates to quality and not quantity of years.

It will always be worth it to me, to see her well, to see her get married, to see her buy her first house, and to see her become a mom. If it all changed tommorow - the journey and accomplishments are invaluable. For both of us.

A couple of years ago her husband Bob told me that he was jealous - that I got to help save Sunny and that he could not (wrong blood type). Bob is a great guy and one of my bro's, but even he misunderstood at the time. So I told him:

I got the easy part Bob. I gave her more time.

But YOU Dude - you have the hard job. You have to build a life. You have to lead a family. You have to provide a home. Your job lasts forever - I just helped give you some time.

And isint that what its really all about people?

What do we do - with the time that we've got?????

Steven

[Saephyr]

SPREAD THE LOVE MAN!