Organ Donation-What Do You Think About It?

[iheartscience]

What are your feelings on organ donation? Are you a registered organ donor? Why or why not? Do you know anyone who has received an organ transplant? Or donated a kidney to a relative? I''m curious!

 

[iheartscience]

I'll start! I think organ donation is awesome-basically science at its best. I'm a registered organ donor-it's marked on my driver's license. I figure I'll be gone, so why not? You can't take them with you! I would donate a kidney to my parents or siblings, too. (And of course my husband, but it's not that likely we'd be a match since we have different blood types.)

I know a couple of organ recipients, actually. My aunt received a kidney from my cousin last summer. She looks and feels fantastic now-really a new life for her. My aunt said that even when she was still groggy and waking up in the hospital right after the surgery she immediately felt better. And my cousin is doing really well, too.

A guy I went to high school with received an organ transplant after he graduated. (From a deceased donor.) He looks like a completely different person now, too. He seriously grew a foot and a half and looks so much healthier now. He's a super buff firefighter and does a lot of work for organ donation organizations.

 

[kenny]

Great idea.
I won''t need them.

I''m a donor.

 

[Burberrygirl]

I am too, it's marked on my drivers license. I think its great! If something should happen to me I want my organs to be able to help others

 

[Dandi]

I''m a registered organ donor, as is DH. I work in an operating theatre and see the wonderful effects of organ donation, it''s remarkable how quickly someone can bounce to health after receiving a vital functioning organ.

A few organ donors I know will donate anything and everything, except their corneas and sclerae. They can''t stand the thought of someone else seeing the world ''through their eyes''. Interesting that several people have said the exact same thing.

 

[monarch64]

Yup, I''m a donor. It''s one of the greatest gifts you can give, the prolonging of life, so I feel like why not?

One of my uncles (by marriage, not a blood relative) received a liver transplant several years ago after nearly drinking himself to death. At first he was very gung-ho about his new lease on life and even did public appearances/motivational speeches. Sadly, he started drinking again and has pretty much been disowned by the rest of the family.

The ironic thing is that a really great friend of that side of the family also received a liver transplant around that time (he was not a drinker) and the liver ended up being cancerous and he died not long ago. Life really isn''t fair sometimes.

 

[lulu]

Absolutely in favor of organ donations. Who isn''t?

 

[megumic]

Definitely an organ donor.

Also, while we''re on the topic. I encourage everyone to register to be a bone marrow donor with the National Marrow Donor Program. A former colleague of mine has a rare blood cancer and she needs a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, on a list of 14 MILLION donors, not one is a match for her.

All you have to do is swab your cheek with four cotton swabs, provided for you, and you''re entered on the list. If you are a match for someone in need, you''ll be contacted.

Please sign up today to be a bone marrow donor - you could save someones life. Become a Donor

 

[Haven]

DH and I are organ donors.

DH''s father has been awaiting a kidney for years. It''s so scary to be on the other end of it that I can''t imagine *not* being a registered donor.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

If for some reason I was put into that situation, I would want my organs donated.

I have made my wishes known to my family and my FI.

Organ donation is far from perfect, and the people who get them will still have a lot to deal with, but many times, they also get more years to spend with their family and loved ones.

I have seen families decide against organ donation. It is not something you should state casually, it is something you need to sit down and have a serous talk with your family about as they will have the final say in the matter. The other side of organ donation is the sad reality is that often times a young healthy person has an unexpected event that leads to brain death, and no one is prepared for that tragedy. Of course, I hope that never happens to anyone here, or myself. But I have made my wishes known so that my family knows that if I were to be in such a situation, I would want to make the best of it by allowing others to live. I hope that makes it easy for them to come to the same decision I have.

 

[pinkstars]

I think donating your organs is the best thing to do, why wouldn''t you?
I of course plan to. I actually just attended an event for friends and families of organ donors. One of my best friends died 2 1/2 years ago and her mom invited me to this event with her. Even though my friend had cancer, she was able to donate her corneas.
We heard some people speak who received donations(even corneas)and I think if I wasn''t already a donor, then that would certainly change my mind!

BF will need a new liver sometime down the line. If I''m able to do that for him, then I would be more than happy to.

 

[that_someone_special]

I really recommend this book called Stiff.

It shows what happens to your body after you die (organ donation, donating to science...) Made me think twice

 

[loriken214]

I''m registered with Donate Texas and I hope someone can benefit from my organs when I''m gone.

Lori

 

[iota15]

I have perhaps strangely specific requirements - useable organs only to other living persons (I don''t want to be a med student science project) and under no conditions will my eyes or corneas be donated.

I''m actually not very superstitious at all but this is one of the few weird things that have stuck with me - the whole idea about the eyes being the windows to the soul. Lots of cultures see it that way - egyptian, western cultures, what have you. I don''t know why (and maybe there''s not even such a thing as a soul) but my eyes stay with me! hehe.

 

[VRBeauty]

About 21 years ago my next door neighbor was on death''s door until he received a heart transplant. The first few years after that were touch and go -- he was only the second heart recipient at this particular hospital, and he had an undiagnosed condition that interfered with the new heart. It took a long time for the doctors to figure out the right medicine regimen for him, and there were times when I think he was ready to give up... but he didn''t. I''ve lost touch with him and his family, but he was still doing well (and doing good) when I last saw him five years ago or so.

One of my co-workers is alive and doing well today because one of his sisters gave him one of her kidneys.

Another friend has gone to dialysis two or three times a week for several years now, and will until she gets a kidney transplant.

Yes, I''d be an organ donor.

 

[Porridge]

Yup I am most definitely an organ donor. It's on my drivers licence, my passport, and everyone who knows me is probably aware of my views on it at this stage!! I hate the idea of being buried. They can have anything which may be useful to somebody else.

I know two people for whom organ donation changed their lives.

I also know the mother of a teenage girl who died. Her organs were donated. The mother says she feels a huge relief and comfort knowing that a part of her daughter is living on, saving somebodys life and bringing happiness to another family.

In France I believe everyone donates their organs, unless specifically stated otherwise - the reverse of what we do here. Great system, in my point of view.

 

[Tuckins1]

I am an organ donor. They can have anything they want from me when I die- I won''t need it anymore. My good friend donated a kidney to her brother a few years back. Saved his life.

 

[justginger]

Thanks to the personal generosity of some people, my mother has received two cornea transplants. She got sand in one of her eyes during a dust storm in Mexico, ended up with a fungal infection (which was being treated as bacterial), and by the time it was correctly identified, it had nearly completely eaten through her cornea. The first transplant was successful for some period of time, but she needed an additional piece added from a second donor. Her experience of nearly losing an eye was terrible - she was so very depressed and spent literally months in and out of the hospital, sitting in complete dark in the house, not even able to read or watch tv.

So thanks to everyone who has conquered the heebie jeebies of losing their eyes and decided to be unreserved donors.

I want every bit of me taken and used. I don''t care if you throw a bit of my hair in the grave at the end of it all; I want as many people as possible to get a piece of me.

I have read "Stiff" and it didn''t change my opinion on wanting to be used. I know in the medical world your bits don''t always directly save a life, but in general, they can use you to better things for the rest of society (even if you are just a dead guinea pig for safety tests!).

In regards to the story Monarch shared -- there was a girl from Perth who made the news in a big way not long ago. She was a young mother, ex-drug addict, who had a liver transplant (from a donor) and then relapsed. It wasn''t severe, but the fact was she did do drugs, after having the transplant. She eventually needed a second transplant -- and no one seemed able to agree as to whether that was inevitable, or directly related to her relapse. She was rejected from the organ transplant list here in Perth, so her family petitioned and received a $250,000 loan from the government to pay for her to go to Singapore and get a live liver transplant from a relative. The operation went well, however a few days afterwards, she had blood clots and secondary infection -- and died. The family is still reponsible for the debt. Some people got very heated about how she didn''t deserve what they perceived as a "third chance," but I found it all very sad.

 

[kama_s]

Yup, I''ve registered to be an organ donor. I''ve had very frank talks with my husband and let him know that if a situation arises, I would want everything that is useful to be donated (I also said I ddint want to be on life support and my hubby got quite upset, but that''s a different story for another day :p).

I can''t put myself on the marrow list though, I''m not sure if I''m giving enough to go through that pain and loss of days. A BM transplant is not an outpatient procedure that you recover from instantly. I would donate marrow to to family however. Especially with all the advances made in peripheral stem cell transplant, only a very small proportion get bone marrow transplant these days.

 

[oddoneout]

You don't need the organs when you're dead so why not donate them to someone who needs them?

 

[SapphireLover]

I am a registered organ donor. My mum had a kidney transplant 6 years ago and I might need one when I am older. She was on dialysis for over 6 years.

I believe that many people that want to be donors do not have the conversation with their loved ones, so they don''t know their wishes. If organ donation was an "opt-out" scheme, not opt-in, then people who had strong objections could opt out. Its quite controversial as people think that doctors would allow people to die just to harvest their organs, which I truly do not think would happen. In countries where donation is opt out, not opt in, waiting lists are much shorter.

 

[April20]

I''m a donor. I know someone who''s had a kidney transplant, someone who''s had a live donor liver transplant and I have a friend right now that needs a kidney. Looks like her family isn''t an option and she actually doesn''t qualify for the donor list right now due to other health issues. It''s kind of scary.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

My cousin has cystic fibrosis and has had two transplants from living donors (her sister and uncle), a partial lung and kidney. When she was diagnosed in the late 70s her doctors said she would only live to be about 15. She''s now 35.

I 110% support organ donation and am listed as an organ donor.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I also plan to donate our son''s cord blood to the public registry so it can be used for someone else''s child or research.

 

[gemgirl]

I think organ donation is the most beautiful gift one human being can give to another. I''m not a donor because I''ve been chronically ill for a good portion of my adult life. I know I can''t donate blood because I''ve had Mono, Epstein Barr and CFIDS. I doubt that I can donate my organs, but my husband is an organ donor. He''s as healthy as a horse.

 

[charbie]

very much so an organ donor.
although, my hope is i live long enough that my organs are too old

does that make me selfish?
i''d be a living donor if needed.
i wish i could donate blood more often, but it makes me pass out

i read Stiff years ago- great book!

 

[y2kitty]

Registered donor for everything except my corneas, which I have been told by 3 eye doctors are too thin and not even suitable for lasic surgery. So I figured they would not be much help for anyone.

 

[elrohwen]

I am a registered organ donor - I feel that it's the least I can do to give my healthy organs to someone who needs them after I'm gone.

I also wouldn't hesitate to donate a kidney to my parents or DH if they really needed it. I would just feel so guilty if they needed it and I was able to help, but didn't.

 

[princesss]

I''m a donor! The only thing I''ve requested is that my heart not be used because it''s kind of messed up and I hate the thought of somebody else having to go through what I''ve gone through with it. But as that gets better, I may end up taking that restriction off.

In all honesty, I think it''s an amazing thing that we can help each other like this. If I can help other people live when I die, whether through a direct transfer or by being used for scientific purposes to help advance medicine, I want to do it.

 

[Pandora II]

All three of us are registered as donors.

They can have whatever they want of me once I''m dead... even if I end up being known as ''Freda'' and being chopped up by medical students!

None of us can be blood donors - DH has hereditary spherocystosis and I''ve had blood transfusions, but I donated the placenta after Daisy was born towards research (they asked me if I wanted to take it home on the consent form

). They couldn''t use cord bloods as she may potentially have the hereditary spherocytosis.

I think Britain should have an opt-out rather than an opt-in system. I really don''t understand what people have against it - and what I really despise are people who would accept an organ but not be prepared to donate.

Also I don''t know about nowadays, but certainly in the past doctors used to swipe bits anyway - my father was an eye surgeon and said that corneas were often nicked as it wasn''t as if anyone would find out!