Organ Donation-What Do You Think About It?

[kama_s]

Date: 4/27/2010 11:13:41 PM
Author: megumic

Date: 4/27/2010 7:47:19 AM

Author: kama_s



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.

Not all BM transplants are harsh and invasive. Often the patient in need of a transplant just needs a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical. The other form of donation, is in fact surgical, as you mentioned

Incorrect. A BM tranplant is just that. Harvesting bone marrow directly from the bone marrow. A peripheral BLOOD stem cell transplant collects stem cells from the blood. To do that, you are normally given G-CSF and sometimes chemotherapy ( usually if it''s autologous, chemo helps with the mobilization of stem cells). If you read above, you will see I asked Smurfy if she signed up to be a peripheral blood stem cell donor.

 

[anchor31]

I''m a donor. Here we have to sign on the back of our universal health care card.

My cousin''s life was saved by a BM transplant. Yes it''s painful and invasive, but I would do it in a heartbeat to save someone''s life.

 

[megumic]

Date: 4/28/2010 8:32:29 AM
Author: kama_s

Date: 4/27/2010 11:13:41 PM

Author: megumic

Date: 4/27/2010 7:47:19 AM


Author: kama_s




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.

Not all BM transplants are harsh and invasive. Often the patient in need of a transplant just needs a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical. The other form of donation, is in fact surgical, as you mentioned

Incorrect. A BM tranplant is just that. Harvesting bone marrow directly from the bone marrow. A peripheral BLOOD stem cell transplant collects stem cells from the blood. To do that, you are normally given G-CSF and sometimes chemotherapy ( usually if it''s autologous, chemo helps with the mobilization of stem cells). If you read above, you will see I asked Smurfy if she signed up to be a peripheral blood stem cell donor.

The point is, both procedures restore stem cells. The purpose of restoring the stem cells is to allow cancer patients to receive extremely high doses of treatment. Cancer cells divide rapidly and thus treatment is aimed at killing off cells that divide rapidly. Unfortunately, bone marrow cells also divide quite rapidly and are effectively killed off by important cancer treatments as well. The healthy bone marrow is particularly important for cancer patients receiving treatment because those cells carry oxygen, help fight infection, etc.

I''m not a doctor, or even in the medical field, so if my understanding is incorrect please let me know. But really, the point is, becoming a donor on the bone marrow donation list can enable cancer patients undergoing treatment to receive more of the important cells to aid in treatment and recovery, and potentially save a life.

Most of us have had or plan to have babies. We all know that it is painful, both physically and emotionally - but we do it because the benefits outweigh the detriments. I make the same argument for bone marrow donation. While it might hurt for a day or two, the potential to save someone''s life, or at least give them hope and the prospect of a future, is sufficient for me.

 

[kama_s]

Date: 4/28/2010 10:59:59 AM
Author: megumic

Date: 4/28/2010 8:32:29 AM
Author: kama_s

Date: 4/27/2010 11:13:41 PM

Author: megumic

Date: 4/27/2010 7:47:19 AM


Author: kama_s




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.

Not all BM transplants are harsh and invasive. Often the patient in need of a transplant just needs a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical. The other form of donation, is in fact surgical, as you mentioned

Incorrect. A BM tranplant is just that. Harvesting bone marrow directly from the bone marrow. A peripheral BLOOD stem cell transplant collects stem cells from the blood. To do that, you are normally given G-CSF and sometimes chemotherapy ( usually if it''s autologous, chemo helps with the mobilization of stem cells). If you read above, you will see I asked Smurfy if she signed up to be a peripheral blood stem cell donor.

The point is, both procedures restore stem cells. The purpose of restoring the stem cells is to allow cancer patients to receive extremely high doses of treatment. Cancer cells divide rapidly and thus treatment is aimed at killing off cells that divide rapidly. Unfortunately, bone marrow cells also divide quite rapidly and are effectively killed off by important cancer treatments as well. The healthy bone marrow is particularly important for cancer patients receiving treatment because those cells carry oxygen, help fight infection, etc.

I''m not a doctor, or even in the medical field, so if my understanding is incorrect please let me know. But really, the point is, becoming a donor on the bone marrow donation list can enable cancer patients undergoing treatment to receive more of the important cells to aid in treatment and recovery, and potentially save a life.

Most of us have had or plan to have babies. We all know that it is painful, both physically and emotionally - but we do it because the benefits outweigh the detriments. I make the same argument for bone marrow donation. While it might hurt for a day or two, the potential to save someone''s life, or at least give them hope and the prospect of a future, is sufficient for me.

Agreed. Megumic, you''re an incredibly kind hearted soul to be on the marrow list

.

That said, I was pointing out to you, and the countless others reading this thread, that a BONE MARROW donation is not a simple and easy procedure. It can take UPTO THREE WEEKS to be 100% okay after a bone marrow donation. In my original post, I said *I* wasn''t big/generous/kind enough to be a BM donor. That''s my choice. Similarly, everyone else has the right to choose based on ALL available information. That is, one should know if they signed up to be a BM or peripheral blood stem cell donor. An important distinction, I would think.

 

[cellentani]

I didn''t bother to read through the whole thread, but I just recently changed my status to organ donor. DH has been registered for years, and while I appreciate the concept, I always had the scenario running through my head that my DH would die in a car accident, and I''d arrive on scene, just as paramedics were scooping out his eyeballs for someone else. I know it doesn''t happen that way, so I don''t know what''s wrong with me.

 

[cara]

I'm a donor but don't like thinking about needing a donation or being in a position to donate... but I guess I'll be gone by the time other people are worrying about the later one?

Risingsun, I'm with pandora on this one. In the non-commercial organ market, we rely on a communal kind of altruism.

People that would accept an organ donation if they needed it but woln't (rather than can't) donate their own organs if circumstances arise are highly hypocritical. It is a selfish attitude worthy of being despised. If you have religious or philosophical beliefs that preclude accepting or donating organs, fine. You are outside of the system. If you want your body buried *whole* or are skeeved out by donating your own organs, but would somehow get over your issues if it were necessary to save your life and accept someone else's donated organs into your body, you need to get over yourself. The system woln't work if everyone selfishly guards possession of their own organs after death, but willingly would accept needed organs from others if they happened to need a donation. I'm sorry, but it woln't work. People that would accept a donation but not donate themselves are freeloaders, taking advantage of the system with minimal inconvenience to themselves. Well, not even themselves really cause they are generally dead and gone by the time the donation would happen. Whatever mental benefit it gives to a living person to know that their dead organs will be retained with the rest of their body when they die, rather than harvested and passed on to aid some still-living person.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am an organ donor. When I don''t need them I am more than happy to pass them along and hopefully save a life.

 

[luv2sparkle]

My family and I have all discussed it and both my husband and I would donate every part that can be used. However, I won''t put it on my license. My family will make the decision.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/28/2010 4:54:36 PM
Author: luv2sparkle
My family and I have all discussed it and both my husband and I would donate every part that can be used. However, I won''t put it on my license. My family will make the decision.

Why wouldn''t you put it on your license if you want to donate? Just curious.

 

[TravelingGal]

Well, I found the online site from the DMV. Thanks for the reminder...I registered! I never wanted an open casket anyway...I don''t want anyone to see me dead. It''s an image I could have passed on when my father died...but one seared into my memory (I saw him die, but he was closed casket, thank goodness.)

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/28/2010 5:35:49 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Well, I found the online site from the DMV. Thanks for the reminder...I registered! I never wanted an open casket anyway...I don''t want anyone to see me dead. It''s an image I could have passed on when my father died...but one seared into my memory (I saw him die, but he was closed casket, thank goodness.)

Glad this was a reminder! And FYI, you can actually still have an open casket funeral even if you do donate your organs. Prosthetics are used so the eyes (if donated) and body won''t look any different. And if you do tissue and/or bone donation, they take the tissue and bone from places that aren''t obvious, like the back and legs.

I''m also not a fan of the open casket funeral. Open casket funerals are the tradition in my family but I don''t intend to keep that going when I die. They''re just weird and creepy and I HATE going to them. My dad does, too, but my mom insists he''ll have an open casket funeral if he dies first! She''s very big on the wake and funeral and then party afterwards.

It''s a cultural thing with her-she grew up in a very Catholic part of Boston and when they were little kids, if they passed a house with a special wreath (I think she said it was yellow) on the door they had to go in and say a prayer in front of the caskets of PERFECT STRANGERS.

My mom still remembers going into one house where a little girl was on display. Yet she still likes open casket funerals!

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 4/28/2010 4:54:36 PM
Author: luv2sparkle
My family and I have all discussed it and both my husband and I would donate every part that can be used. However, I won''t put it on my license. My family will make the decision.

Unfortunately, you can''t plan when and where you might pass on - once you have passed, the window can be very short to harvest organs and save lives. If it isn''t on your license, your family would likely be too distraught to communicate it in enough time to actually use your organs...just something to think about.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I guess I am just not very trusting. I don''t trust that everything will be done that can be done, and it is binding when you put it on you license. I am not the one it will matter to, but family members and I just want
them to feel confident about the choice. I don''t want someone else telling them they have to do it and don''t have a choice.

 

[violet3]

I''m a donor for sure!!! if i die, i hope that everything i have goes to help whomever needs it.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 4/27/2010 7:47:57 AM
Author: oddoneout
You don''t need the organs when you''re dead so why not donate them to someone who needs them?

I''ll hope to come back and read more later, but wanted to respond now...

It''s hard to know what happens after you die, you know...

The tradition in Judaim is to leave the body alone. No autopsy for religious, for example.

Likewise, in some traditions of Buddhism, the idea is to not disturb the body for like within 3 days of the person having died...since a disruption can provide a sort of trauma to their spirit.

I am a donor, my license being marked for that. Years ago, I would contact my buddhist church for their advice. More lately, I''ve learned the "bodhisattva" principle that...if one notes to oneself, consciously, that one is purposely giving of themselves to others should their untimely death occur, the decision is deemed a good one. Doing this, as one tells your Department of Motor Vehicles to mark your drivers license as to be a donor...is a way to do this.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/28/2010 7:10:14 PM
Author: thing2of2

Date: 4/28/2010 5:35:49 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Well, I found the online site from the DMV. Thanks for the reminder...I registered! I never wanted an open casket anyway...I don''t want anyone to see me dead. It''s an image I could have passed on when my father died...but one seared into my memory (I saw him die, but he was closed casket, thank goodness.)

Glad this was a reminder! And FYI, you can actually still have an open casket funeral even if you do donate your organs. Prosthetics are used so the eyes (if donated) and body won''t look any different. And if you do tissue and/or bone donation, they take the tissue and bone from places that aren''t obvious, like the back and legs.

I''m also not a fan of the open casket funeral. Open casket funerals are the tradition in my family but I don''t intend to keep that going when I die. They''re just weird and creepy and I HATE going to them. My dad does, too, but my mom insists he''ll have an open casket funeral if he dies first! She''s very big on the wake and funeral and then party afterwards.

It''s a cultural thing with her-she grew up in a very Catholic part of Boston and when they were little kids, if they passed a house with a special wreath (I think she said it was yellow) on the door they had to go in and say a prayer in front of the caskets of PERFECT STRANGERS.

My mom still remembers going into one house where a little girl was on display. Yet she still likes open casket funerals!

Good to know thing! But I have to admit, my eyes are the only thing I opted out of donating. Not that I believe any of this (being somewhat religious, I think my body is just a body so I don''t care what is left) but my MIL (who is not religious in the same way I am) is a big believer in donating everything except for the eyes. Her sister, who died at a young age of cancer asked that her eyes be kept intact so she would recognize my MIL when she joined her in heaven. I''m thinking...hm...if you need your eyes in heaven, don''t you think you need your other bits too? But my MIL I think wants everyone to keep their eyes, so out of respect, I''m being buried with my eyeballs firmly attached to my head.

 

[luckynumber]

nah, a direct bone marrow transplant isn''t that bad. yes, it''s a bit painful, but i was thrilled to be a match (esp since finding donors in my ethnic group is very hard!)

you will be a bit sore afterwards, but they gave me loads of painkillers, and i was just fine.

and i got to save someone''s life. who is doing really great now.

awesome!

 

[megumic]

Date: 4/29/2010 2:36:01 PM
Author: luckynumber
nah, a direct bone marrow transplant isn''t that bad. yes, it''s a bit painful, but i was thrilled to be a match (esp since finding donors in my ethnic group is very hard!)


you will be a bit sore afterwards, but they gave me loads of painkillers, and i was just fine.


and i got to save someone''s life. who is doing really great now.


awesome!

THAT''S AMAZING! Kudos for you for not only being on the donor list (which it seems many are hesitant to do for fear of the pain and procedure), but accepting to save someone''s life as a match. What a wonderful experience to have. You''re the first match I''ve ever heard of/known (well, I mean, I don''t know you, but you KWIM!) What a humbling experience. Would you do it again? Did you get to meet the donee?? TELL US EVERYTHING!!!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I am actually ambivalent about organ donating for a number of reasons.
1. It is not on my card because at that point, the person it effects most is my DH so he has to make the decision that he is most comfortable with since he has to live with it, I don''t.

2. They keep you alive in some capacity to get a lot of the organs, and hospitals do make mistakes. The idea of being alive in some capacity as they carve me up scares me more than I can say.

3. Not everything goes to save a life. For example, a surprisingly high number of places that take skin do it so they can use it as filler for men who get enhancement surgery. I have nothing wrong with them getting it done, but I don''t want my DNA propping up a guy with self esteem problems.

4. Some places like to have the whole body and cremate the rest. I study archaeological bodies and I want to be one of those bodies one day. There is an immortality and also a profound connection that comes from it. to give someone the same knowledge the bodies from the asylum I am working on give me I am not comfortable passing on.

Most of the non donors I know are for religious reasons and while some would accept organs, some would not. I do not blame them for it. Just as a christian might believe that they need to get the last rites to make sure they get to heaven ok, I have a Buddhist friend that must be "intact" to get there in her beliefs.