Organ Donation

[Llardball]

I was just reading the thread "Funerals" when I recalled something I read or heard about organ donation. This program said only a small percentage of people actually are organ donors. Also, there are I think 60,000 people in the US waiting for organ donations. I am a donor and I am just wondering why anyone wouldn't want to be a donor. I don't need an organ or anything I was just wondering why anyone wouldn't want to give their organs away. Any ideas?

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I realize I'm generalizing here, but as in most cases, I don't care.
-Dave Barry

[AuntiePam]

I'm a donor too, LlardBall -- I've heard people comment that they won't donate for religious reasons -- they come up with something vague about wanting to be "intact" when they get to heaven.

I think they're assuming quite a bit, but hey, it's not for me to say where they're going, if anywhere.

[Llardball]

I've heard that about religious reasons too, AuntiePam. What I don't understand about that is why you would need your body in one of these places when it is just a rotting carcass here on earth. Your organs are going to either rot here on earth, or you can put them to good use with someone else. Also, if you were to go to heaven or wherever, wouldn't your body stay here and just your spirit go to this afterlife? That's just my personal belief so you can ignore that.

You can also specify which organs you would like to donate. Maybe you don't want to give away your heart but you wouldn't mind losing a kidney while you're still alive. Just a little info.

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I realize I'm generalizing here, but as in most cases, I don't care.
-Dave Barry

[Commander Fortune]

I am also a donor.

I heard that in some countries...anyone know which ones - Australia comes to mind, but I'm not sure...you are automatically an organ and tissue donor unless you fill out paperwork objecting to this use.

Do you think that would fly in our country?

How would one start a movement to set this type of practice in motion?

[Diceman]

The main reason there are so few organ donors is the extemely high gross-out factor. Also, I think alot of people are afraid that, if they became an organ donor, doctors might decide they were worth more dead than alive. Not that I believe this. It's the gross-out factor that keeps me from signing the back of my driver's licence. I just can't stand the thought that I'd be hacked to bits the instant I'm declared braindead.

[KeithM]

I think it has to do with people's inability to truly face their own mortality. The idea of their eyes, heart, kidneys, etc. being removed is met with resistance, because there's a vague, subconscious equating of those acts being done to them while they are alive.

______________

"Everytime you go away, you take a piece of me with you."
- Paul Young

[tomndebb]

No fear, Diceman, or it would have happened already.

I can (vaguely) understand your "gross out" factor. I would, however, ask that you consider the situation from a logical perspective. You aren't going to be around to worry about it, anyway. Your organs are going to either slowly turn to pulp and ooze away or they're going to be reduced to fine-powdered ash. Either way, if you donate, some part of you is liable to survive for a few more years. (If you die under mysterious circumstances, the coroner is going to slice and dice you anyway.)

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Tom~

There are several misperceptions that people use (IMO) to justify avoiding having to deal with their own impermanence in this world.

1. (as alluded to by Diceman) is the fear that an X in the organ donor block of a driver's license causes EMTs, nurses, & docs not to try as hard to save you. Patently false, but it's SO hard to convince someone whose cousin's hairdresser's next-door neighbor's teacher had their organs harvested afer sustaining a surviveable injury...

2. Donor's families are charged for the cost of harvesting their organs. False. Donor's families ARE charged for the cost of trying to save them, but the instant the decision is made to proceed with donation, all future charges, up until body preparation & transport to the funeral home are borne by the recipient('s insurance company).

3. I knew person Y who was hurt, and because of organ donation, his family had to have a closed casket funeral. Organs are removed surgically, and with every effort to respect the body of donor. If a closed caption funeral must be held, it would because of the trauma the caused the death, not the organ donation that followed.

4. Nobody would want X's organs. She's too old to be a donor. OK, livers from 15 year olds do work better than livers from 80 year olds. There are certain eligibility requirements for potential donors - free of transmissable infectious disease (HIV, hepatitis, active bacterial infection at the time of death), - no known invasive cancer, and, for some organs, - age limits. Corneas have the fewest restrictions. Almost anyone can donate corneas, giving the gift of sight to someone who has lost, or is about to lose theirs.

One of the main impediments to donation, however, is the failure of many people to understand that they can sign a million forms during their lifetime, but at the time of death, if family is available, the family's consent is needed in order to harvest organs.

So, if you're a donor, TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT! Your family will be devastated by your loss, but if they know you want to be a donor, this can provide some measure of comfort & prevent them from feeling like they betrayed your last wishes if they find out too late that you would want to be a donor.



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Sue from El Paso

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

[PunditLisa]

If any of you non-donors ever faced the horrendous position of needing a new organ, or if a loved one ever needed a new organ, I want you to know that *I* would gladly give you any body part once I'm certifiably dead.

Seriously, please re-consider.

[Llardball]

Majormd touched on the fact that it is a false assumption that EMT's and other workers won't try as hard to save someone if they are an organ donor. Medical workers won't even know if the patient is an organ donor until after they are dead. There should be no fear that the medical workers won't try to save you just because you are a donor.

Commander Fortune: You wanted to know if this kind of thing would "fly in our country." It wouldn't. The US is based upon principles of freedom and to be an automatic donor is taking away that person's freedom. It has been suggested that prisoners are to be automatic donors once they are dead OR that they become donors to get a shorter sentence. These are not laws yet though.
If you wanted to start a movement for this practice you would probably just talk to your local representative about it but (I hate to break it to you) you would probably be quickly rejected for the afformentioned reasons.

tomndebb talked about why would one worry about where their organs are going being that this person is dead. I agree. When I am dead, why do I care where my organs go, let alone having my body mutilated? I know it's not the "classy" way to go (being mutilated), but will I feel it? No. Am I helping someone else out (by organ transplant) who isn't in my predicament (dead)? Yes. Does that make me feel good even though I am dead? Yes...sort of...I guess so, considering I am dead.

I suppose the whole point of my thread was that there really is no legitimate reason for not being a donor (except maybe religious). The "gross-out" factor shouldn't be a factor at all because you are dead. Nothing grosses you out when you are dead. Nothing bad happens to your body. They won't tear it up. I promise.

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I realize I'm generalizing here, but as in most cases, I don't care.
-Dave Barry

[Commander Fortune]

True enough about the US being founded on principles of freedom.

Currently, my child MUST have received her immunizations OR I can sign a waiver saying our family is exempt for religious reasons.

Currently, our city provided water is fluoridated, we can drink it anyway OR we can drink bottled water if we object to fluoridation.

My point is, our country does lots of things to better the overall health of our society. As long as exemption is provided for those who object, no one's freedom of choice is actually imposed upon.

[EvilGhandi]

Sorry to poop on Majormd's fine post but point #3 did give me a chuckle.

Could trauma sustained in a fatal accident cause enough disfigurement to require the funeral to use subtitles?

[Holly]

You wanted to know if this kind of thing would "fly in our country." It wouldn't. The US is based upon principles of freedom and to be an automatic donor is taking away that person's freedom.

Actually, I believe the country we're talking about here is Belgium, and it has nothing to do with compulsory organ donation. The way it works is, you are assumed to be a donor UNLESS you've indicated that you DON'T want to be a donor. If you don't want to donate, fine: you're free to refuse.

The way our system in the US works, you're assumed to NOT be a donor unless you indicate you DO want to donate. Even if you want to donate, your family is allowed to sabotage your wishes. If one family member refuses the donation, it can't go through, even if you've clearly stated your wishes. This happens distressingly often.

[lvick]

interesting aside,
as an ER/ICU RN, I'm 100% for donations, 1 donor can save 5 lives, I'm a donor and I echo the prior posts:
share your life, share your decision.

however, vis a vis the icky factor, I would not want my body donated to med school for anatomy class.
they both effect me the same, and both are of use to humankind, but one I would jump at and the other is icky, hmmm,
Larry

[Zyada]

I know it's not the "classy" way to go (being mutilated)

I don't know about anyone else, but I think being an organ donor is a lot classier that not being one.

[handy]

I'm not. One reason: Organ Harvest.

[coffeecat]

I used to have an organ donor card, but when my wife (then my girlfriend) found out, she got very upset and said she didn't want someone else to have my beautiful eyes. What can ya' do?

[Little Nemo]

Look at organ donation this way. Don't think of it as donating your organs to help keep other people alive. Think of it as a whole bunch of complete strangers who are willing to donate their entire bodies just to keep your organs alive.

[lvick]

Handy
what does that mean?
organ harvest=don't be a donor WTF?

[PunditLisa]

I don't know about giving my body to science. If I donated my body to the medical school, it may be the only chance I'll ever have of getting a roomful of cute med students to paw all over my nekkid body.

[Yarster]

Just thought I'd add that in addition to being an organ donor, I have done a lot of research in this field. There is a single organization in the US that coordinates all organ donation called the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). They are a non-profit in Virginia, and their Web page is:
http://www.unos.org

Some interesting things you might want to know is that appoximately 20,000 transplants are done per year which has remained fairly constant, while the number of people waiting has steadily increased. Charts on this page will tell you exact numbers but it's around 65,000 or so still waiting. The organization charges health organizations $375 per person they add to the list and as already stated, the actual costs of the operation, and all other charges are paid by the recipient's insurer. No charge to the donor AT ALL! And in case anyone is wondering, kidneys outnumber all other transplants almost 2 to 1.

The truly sad part is all the money UNOS has to spend in education to dispell urban legends that your organs are harvested by EMTs (along with your gold fillings), or that there are operating teams in the back of Tijuana bars waiting for you to get drunk so they can steal your kidneys when you pass out. UNOS actually just started a major advertising campaign (mostly posters in malls) that cost them $38 million to get people more interested in the idea of organ donation which is apparently easier to do during the holidays.

[handy]

If you donate to Stanford, they give you back in a year, don't throw into some landfill.

lvick, they put the body on a table, all the specialists stand around it and its sliced from stem to stern and they harvest. Grosses me out.

But then all you organ donators, why don't you donate while you are alive? AYou don't need two kidneys or all that liver...

[Little Nemo]

Coffeecat, Diceman, Handy, let me explain something to you. Dead is dead. You're upset about the possibility of having organs removed from your body after death. What do you think is going to happen to those organs if they're not removed? If I'm in a position to know these things after I die, I figure I'll be happier with my organs inside another human than I would be with them inside some worms.

[fuzzy-wuzzy]

I have a donor card...but my understanding is that many organs can only be used if taken from the body so many minutes after death....and age does play a big part in it...I don't think that it's as much a point that people don't care as it is that young people don't think that they have to worry about dying...so they don't think about doing the donor card thing...and then older people know that they organs are probably too worn out to be used...so they don't get the card either...sort of a catch-22 deal.

[Narile]

I would donate in an instant, but can't. :( I had Hep when I was 12 (We think it was the fact I spent a lot of time in the woods and creeks near my house playing). Is also why I can't give blood.

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>>Being Chaotic Evil means never having to say your sorry....unless the other guy is bigger than you.<<

---The dragon observes

[Lord Jim]

I appreciate one thing from this thread.
I have made it clear to my family that I wanted my body parts donated to anyone that could use them. But after reading this thread for the last few days, I looked at the back of my drivers license and I hadn't checked the box on the back. I had on the original but not on the renewal sticker. It would have been a real waste if the time lost by not having that box checked had meant some things could not be used.

[Diceman]

Tomndeb: Yeah, I know I'm not gonna miss my organs when I'm dead. But the problem is, fundamentally, an emotional one, not an intellectual one. It must be dealt with on an emotional level, or the percentage of organ donors will remain abysmally low.

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"I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms." -The Secret of Monkey Island

[Diceman]

Re: donating bodies for study.

People willing to donate their body to science get a highly dignified final resting place, right? WRONG. One word: landfill.
They either end up in the trash, or in a mass grave with all the other "used" cadavers. 100x creepier than organ donation, IMO.

Actually, between having the X marked on your license & telling your family, telling your family is absolutely the most important thing.

If they aren't sure, the X on the driver's license can help them know that you want your organs donated, and help them make the decsion you would want.

I know of a few people who still harbor suspicions about less effort trying to save them, who don't indicate their preference on a driver's license, but who have made their wishes very clear to their families. That is a reasonable way to deal with this, even if their suspicions are unfounded.

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Sue from El Paso

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

[lvick]

As far as quality of care goes, I've observed that the best chance to save the patients life and the best chance to save the most valuable organs is the same. It's ridiculous to think that they won't try to save your life if you're a donor because they'd risk losing the organs most prized at the same time. Having seen the process from start to finish, I can tell you it's a no brainer.

Handy,
I've accompanied my patient in to OR for the harvest and I can tell you it's not much ickier than some of the stuff they do in the ED while your still, technically, alive. And ya want to talk about what the undertaker or the coroner does? Sheesh,
Larry

[coosa]

My mother recently died at the ripe old age of 80. Many years ago she made arrangements for her body to be donated to the local medical school. She was delighted with the idea that medical students would have the opportunity to learn from her body after her death. Her body was picked by the medical school immediately and embalmed, and we were told that when they were through with her (which might be several years) she would be cremated and the ashes returned to us. We held a memorial service for her, and plan to hold another when we receive her ashes. One of my sisters has made the same arrangements, and the rest of my family are organ donors. (Gee, I guess we better watch out - someone might decide to wipe out the whole family to get our organs!)

What I found surprising was that, apparently, the medical school is no longer thrilled with such donations. When her arrangements were made years ago, there was something like a $10 registration fee for the paperwork - now it costs several hundred dollars for them to accept you.

Why? Does anyone know?




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Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.

[handy]

Standford said it was free, they even come and get it.

Little, I'm not stupid, I know your point, but my family would prefer me in one piece, thank you. Yes, I suggested the science thing to them & they are the ones who have to deal with the feelings later & I respect their feelings.

[ruadh]

handy, I understand your point but how would your family feel if you were dying for lack of an organ because there weren't enough donors?

[Holly]

Jim, those are some good questions.

Say a person has a terrible accident, comes into the hospital, and is shortly thereafter declared brain dead. (That process alone takes a few hours; the doctors will run several lengthy tests before they will officially declare you brain dead.)

If family is available, the organ donation people will then ask them if they would like to donate your organs. If you've checked "yes" on your driver's license and the family says "no", you won't be a donor. As Majormd pointed out, you must let your family know your wishes and hopefully they'll abide by them.

They can't take your organs without permission. We recently had a guy who was declared brain dead on our unit, and we had no way to contact his family. We heard a rumor from his employer that the guy had an ex wife and some kids in Mexico, in a little village (we didn't know the name of the village) with no phone. The organ donation people wanted his organs, but they would have had to get a court order. It was unlikely that they would have succeeded in that, but meanwhile the guy was on life support and the hospital was eating the cost of keeping this dead man breathing. In the end, his heart simply stopped all on its own and the case was closed.

If you don't have an easily accessible next of kin, you should appoint someone as your power of attorney for medical care. This is crucial not only for donating or not donating your organs, but for any time you may be incapacitated and unable to make your own decisions.

Say you're in a car accident and you sustain such a terrible head injury that if you survive, you'll be a vegetable forever (not brain dead, but just a vegetable). Would you want the doctors to do everything possible to keep your shell of a body alive? Or would you want them to provide only basic care and let nature take its course? Only you know what you'd want for yourself.

Choose someone to be your power of attorney for medical care (this doesn't give them the ability to manage your finances or anything else; it just allows them to make your medical decisions if you're incapacitated). Tell the person exactly how you feel about these various issues. The paperwork is simple.

[Lord Jim]

Thanks, Holly. If I understood correctly, the "x" on the drivers license indicates my wishes but doesn't give permission to go ahead.

Suppose this happened on a Friday night and even the Power of Attorney person wasn't anywhere to be found in a reasonable length of time, you indicated that the hospital is going to keep me somewhat alive if posible until they do find someone. Is that true?

Also, can they go ahead and take the organs based on a phone call, or does someone have to sign for it. I'm thinking of a long distance call that the person would still be hours away.

[spankboy]

Wow, neat posts. Two things I have to add:

1) It's my understanding (feel free to flame/debunk) that folks from Southeast Asia put special religious emphasis on their liver, which would explain why some folks would be iffy on organ donation.

2) I got pulled over once by an Amazonian state trooper. She was going to let me off with a warning, until she saw that I had written 'penis' under 'organs to be donated'. Some folks have no sense of humor.



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From Hell's heart, I stab at thee-

[Holly]

...you indicated that the hospital is going to keep me somewhat alive if posible until they do find someone. Is that true?
Not exactly. This was the most seriously screwed up case I've personally seen in the ICU. We (the nurses and hospital administration) were pushing to take this guy off the life support ASAP. Like I said, brain dead means dead; you do not have to have permission to take a brain dead person off life support because there is no "life" to support. We felt it was disrespectful to the patient to keep him on life support needlessly. The organ donation people, however, wanted the guy kept on life support until they could get a court order. This DID happen on a weekend, making that proposition nearly impossible. There was no way this guy's heart was going to keep beating until morning, much less through the weekend.

We argued that it was unfair for the hospital to spend thousands of dollars to maintain the bodily functions of a dead person, especially since the chance of recovering any viable organs from this guy was slim to none. Faced with the threat of losing their potential donor, the organ donation people countered with the declaration that they would foot the cost from the moment the patient had been declared brain dead. They could not, however, begin the process of getting ready for donation without consent.

Further complicating the situation was the fact that we didn't even know if this guy was an American citizen. We eventually found out that he was a legal alien. I don't know what the legal implications of that are.

So, to answer your question, the hospital will probably not keep your body going indefinitely in the hopes of finding your next of kin and getting consent for donation. On the other hand, not having an available next of kin or power of attorney is guaranteed to cause a tremendous amount of mess for everyone involved, and chances are your personal wishes are going out the window.

As far as I know (I'm not absolutely sure), consent for donation can happen over the phone. We routinely get consent for surgical procedures, Do Not Resuscitate orders, etc., from family members over the phone. The only difference is when phone consent is given, two nurses have to witness it instead of just one.

[Shirley Ujest]

Holly, interesting statement of how they
( the medical community) cannot take your organs without your permission. Whilst in England in the newspaper there was a huge brewhaha of a hospital that removed the organs of dead children ( dying of other causes) and transplanted them said organ into desperately ill children.

I forget all the numbers or exact location, but it had been going on they think for years. I don't know how this story came to light or the hospital/doctor(s) got busted. Personally, during that grief stricken moment of losing my child to say, an auto accident, I probably wouldn't sign their organs away because I was not thinking rationally or if I was in said car , would not be physically able to do so. But if I found out months/years later about it, it would not bother me as much as some parents have gone nutzo over learning this. Especially if it help another child live.

Yes, I understand there are lines that cannot be crossed, but dead is dead. These children were dying anyway and the physicians did not withhold treatment from the child. Mandatory donation will never fly in this country because most people are squeamish to discuss about death, much less sex.

i've always said that if one planned their funereal like they plan for a wedding, then it would not be such a big deal and give the other family members a sense of comfort knowing what you, the deceased wanted and had it prearranged.
Good lord willing and the creeks don't rise, if my body/organs are acceptable for donation at the time I join the invisible choir above, I have my signed donor card and my family knows my wishes.

I have taken it one step farther:Whenever my inlaws watch my son for a couple of days, they have an emergency form (citing doctors, meds/allegeries/insurance info, etc), permission for them to act on our behalf if we are not reachable AND should death occur, that we would like our son's organs to be donated.

Morbid as it sounds, knowing that some other family could receive comfort in a time of crisis would offer some comfort to me.

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The early bird gets the worm but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[Holly]

You're a rare person, Shirley, who has the foresight to contemplate such things.

Most people refuse to think about their (inevitable) death, as if not thinking about it will somehow prevent it from happening, or as if thinking about it will jinx them.

I certainly wouldn't condone mandatory organ donation; though I promote donation I fully respect the decision of many of my patients' families to reject donation. No one should be pressured to donate.

On the other hand, I think Belgium has a good system: no one is forced to donate, but it's assumed donation will occur unless the patient or family does not want to do so. In our system, the family is faced with the decision to donate or not immediately upon learning of their loved one's death. This is not a good time to make such an important and emotional decision. We recently had a husband and wife involved in a bad car wreck in which their 4 year old child was killed. Though the parents were also injured, the dad seriously, they had to decide what to do at that most tragic moment.

Often, we see families refuse donation even when the deceased person had made it clear that he or she wished to donate organs.

Two years ago on Christmas eve, my friend Susan and I took care of a woman who was declared brain dead after a car accident. The woman had checked the back of her driver's license and indicated to her family that she would like to be an organ donor. One of the woman's daughters refused to give consent for donation, however, and the donation was going to be cancelled. As the daughter said, "I want her to die naturally. I want our family to be there when her heart stops beating."

My friend Susan told her, "If you donate her organs, her heart doesn't have to stop beating. Part of her will live on."

The daughter then consented to the donation. The family wrote to me later and told me this decision had eased their grief.

[Lord Jim]

This brings up one more question for me. What is the chain of command. I talked with my son this afternoon, the one that lives in the general area, and made sure he understood what I would want. If he was first on the scene and gave the ok, would I have to deal with somebody's last minute change of heart. (well, no, I'm dead, but my wishes) I think we are talking only a few hours here to get going on this, right?

[Holly]

Unless you have a power of attorney, your next of kin has the last word on what's done with you, even if your next of kin is a person you haven't seen in thirty years and who hates your guts. Your spouse is your next of kin. If you're not married, your children are your next of kin. If you don't have kids, your parents are your next of kin. If you don't have parents, your brothers and sisters are your next of kin.

Where we've had trouble is when a person's next of kin is several adult children or siblings who can't agree on what to do. If you're not married and have just one child, that kid will be the one to (hopefully) carry out your wishes. If you have more than one kid and they disagree on what to do with you, a big mess will ensue. You can give one of your children power of attorney.

If you're not married but have a significant other whom you'd like to make those healthcare decisions for you, you'd best get that in writing. I've seen several cases where the person who knows and loves the patient best is legally pushed aside when the next of kin, who doesn't know the patient or even particularly care about him, is making the decisions.

Good question, again, Jim.

Things vary by state (each has it's own laws addressing this)

Precedence usually runs as follows -

Spouse (Ex's have NO say whatsoever, unless you have granted them a medical power of attorney)
Adult children
Parents
Siblings
then it gets murky real fast.

Generally, the hospital will want to contact everyone at the same precedence. One adult child, for example, can block a donation approved by the other children, but could not override a spouse.

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Sue from El Paso

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

[Lord Jim]

Ok, I think Im not getting the timing of all this. Doesn't the hospital need to get going quickly to salvage as many organ as posible?
If I have one son here locally that knows very clearly what I want, do they have to wait and get in touch with my other 2 kids in Missouri and get all 3 to agree?

I'll give this thread back if anyone wants to jump in here, but since I have these people's attention I'm gonna use.

It depends on your state's laws, Jim.

But, yes, they might have to at least attempt to track down your other children & get their telephonic OK, before proceeding with collecting your organs. In the meantime, you would remain on life support to keep the organs perfused (potentially could keep organs viable in your body for up to 48-72 hours IIRC, though this is far from optimal from the transplant success rate standpoint, costs YOUR estate a great deal of money, and ties up an ICU bed.)

If you know what you want & have far-flung family, a medical power of attorney, as Holly described, is a good way to ensure things happen as you would want. Designate your local son as authorized to make decisions if you are unable to. Make sure he knows about this AND knows under what circumstances you would want care withheld or withdrawn.

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Sue from El Paso

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

[Lord Jim]

Sue, You, Holly, and I all seem to be in Texas but the advise is good no matter what. I understand the process a lot better now.

Thanks, y'all.

[Lord Jim]

As a follow up on the "x" on the drivers license I mentioned earlier, how significant is that? I thinking of a trauma situation like a car accident. Does it allow the hospital to harvest organs if no family members are present? If so, how long would they wait before they would go ahead and start harvesting the organs. How long could they wait before there wouldn't be much point.
These are very real questions, since I only have one blood relative in Texas and he is a 21 son that doesn't live with me. Besides that I have 2 ex-wives and several step-kids by them that are considered my kids but are blood related. How close of a relative would a person have to be to make such a decision?

[Holly]

In the meantime, you would remain on life support to keep the organs perfused (potentially could keep organs viable in your body for up to 48-72 hours IIRC, though this is far from optimal from the transplant success rate standpoint, costs YOUR estate a great deal of money, and ties up an ICU bed.)
I don't know if it's done the same way all over Texas, but at our hospital, once the family decides to donate, Lifegift (the organ people) pick up the tab from the moment brain death was declared. This is good, because it costs thousands of dollars between the time of death and the time the donor goes to the OR.

As for tying up an ICU bed, we're more than happy to give that bed to an organ donor. A donor requires a one-on-one nurse, and I always feel honored to get that job.

I didn't realize that. I thought that financial responsibility ended when consent was obtained. But I'll admit that working in a military hospital, and not directly with trauma (I'm an Internist & Endocrinologist) leaves me probably less informed about this than you are.

Thanks for clarifying that.

[savcash]

Organ donation has certianly come a long way. There are states that now PAY a fee ($300.- $3,000.) towards the burial/funeral bill to the person's family that allows it.
(Pa. http://www.life-101.org/penn.htm
Vir. & see : Hawaii http://members.cyberz.net/mikelinka/Paying-For-Organs.htm

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“Does love have a limit? Neither does forgiveness”

[PunditLisa]

Handy, I would donate my extra kidney, or part of my liver while I was alive, should someone I know need it.

If your mother or brother or best friend needed it, I certainly hope you would find it in your heart to donate one of your extra kidneys rather than subject them to a life of dialysis.

[Lucky]

I am an organ donor. They can take anything and everything they want. I've never known anyone personally who needed an organ, so I don't know why I feel so passionately about this issue, but people who refuse to be donors for any reason other than religious beliefs totally and completely piss me off to no end. I hope that anyone who refuses to be a donor will also refuse to accept an organ if they are ever in need. IMO, if you are not willing to give an organ that you are no longer using to someone, then you don't deserve to recieve one either.

I realise that my views are very harsh. Too bad. I think that refusing to donate an organ because you are squeemish (trust me, you won't be when your dead) or because you want a nice looking body at the funeral is the epitome of arrogance and selfishness.

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“I should not take bribes and Minister Bal Bahadur KC should not do so either. But if clerks take a bribe of Rs 50-60 after a hard day’s work, it is not an issue.” ----Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Current Prime Minister of Nepal

[Holly]

And unless you're lying in your casket naked, or you have some pathologically morbid family members, no one will be able to tell by looking at you that you've donated organs.

[Athena]

I agree with the above posters who say that organ donation allows part of the person to live on. I just dealt with this issue - a cousin of mine recently had a heart attack and died. Very traumatic for the whole family, as he was only 32 or so. His mother was very happy at the thought of his organs being donated, because she could then think of part of him as still living, and helping someone else. My mother says the same thing - when my sister was killed in a car accident at age 22, something happened where she couldn't donate any organs (too badly mangled or it had been too long, something like that.) My parents still maintain that it would have been a little glimmer of good in a whole bucket of bad to have been able to have donated her organs.

[Revtim]

Since the subject has come up, I've wondered about what religions forbid organ donation, and why.

Forgive me if this is totally wrong, but I seem to recall that Jews are forbidden to donate. Is this true, or am I confusing Judaism with something else?

I also read recently that Japanese culture considers organ donation taboo. Is this a religious taboo?

[zuma]

I, too, am a doner. My mother's kidney trasplant 10 years ago (she's doing great btw) brought me around.

In, fact, I'm rather militant about the subject. I think any living person has greater rights to organs than dead people.

It's not easy any way you look at it, but I think it's a crime that organs of dead people go wasted every day, when living people can use them.

I think we are ass-backwards on the issue.. if you DONT want to give up your organs, you should have a little sticker on your drivers license.

Majormd:
3. I knew person Y who was hurt, and because of organ donation, his family had to have a closed casket funeral. Organs are removed surgically, and with every effort to respect the body of donor. If a closed caption funeral must be held, it would because of the trauma the caused the death, not the organ donation that followed.

If nobody at the funeral is deaf, close captioning is a waste of time and money. :) :) :)

Back to serious: another misunderstood donation is blood donation. If you are negative on the disqualifications, please donate.

If you happen to be O negative (like me), you'll never feel so popular because the blood banks will call you about every 8 weeks. :)

I've donated more that 2 gallons, and I only feel slightly dizzy. :) :)

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Everybody got to elevate from the norm - Rush

A friend of mine is (was?) Mormon. She has a strange genetic disease that the NIH wanted to study. As part of it, samples of the strange growths caused by it were collected. Some uppity-ups at the LDS told her she'd either be incomplete in Heaven or wouldn't get it because of the samples.

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Everybody got to elevate from the norm - Rush

[Guy Propski]

handy, you're remark about donating organs while alive was foolish. I suppose that if a close friend or relative needed one right now, and we were a match, I would consider it. But to randomly donate one would be a waste of time.

When you're dead, however, why would you care what's going to happen to your body? It's going to rot and decay sooner or later; what difference does it make if a team of surgeons chop it up for useful parts? You won't know the difference. Once I'm dead, I'm done with my body; do whatever you want with it.

I knew a man who thought that becoming a organ donor meant that you were automatically made a DNR (do not resusitate). I hate to speak ill of the dead (he passed away last year), but the man was an idiot.