Organs..............

[LastPlace]

Someone on another BB was talking about 'Green Burials' and I mentioned that I was an organ donor. That makes me wonder how many folks here are organ donors?

A co-worker has to go to dialysis three times a week and is in a race between a kidney donation ....and death. I don't have the stones to be a living donor but giving things up after I'm gone was an easy decision to make. Here in SC you can opt in when you renew your drivers license.

Any takers?

[Digital Gee]

I've been a registered donor for years. California is the same as South Carolina -- you fill out something and attach a sticker to your driver's license. Easy decision to make -- you want 'em, come get 'em. Just wait 'till I'm finished with 'em! :)

[LastPlace]

DG...........Thanks. Never really thought about it much but it is probably something to reccomend as often as possible.

My impression is that in europe you have to opt-out, i.e. you are assumed to be an organ donor unless otherwise specified.

[edp773]

I became a donor when I was healthy enough to after my transplant. My daughter became a donor all on her own. In the US your relatives can still over-rule your driver's license in most states, so make them aware of your wishes.

Give my regaurds to your friend, but this race is a slow race. I was on a waiting list for three years and had higher priority due to needing two organs. My list was a 10 month average at the time and a kidney only was a two year average. My blood type was a common one too. For a positive note I saw two people given transplants in less than three months time and one was within three weeks. It has been almost five years since my transplant and there is still some people on dialysis when I was there.

Unfortunately ,the waiting list grows longer each year!

[LastPlace]

edp773,

Glad to hear that things worked out as well as can be expected given the circumstances.

If you know of an informative organ donation site let me know and I will try using it in my signature and perhaps we can do some good over here.

[edp773]

Here are two of the more popular sites:

http://www.organdonor.org/

http://www.organdonor.gov/

This site gives links to your regional organ bank:

http://www.organdonor.gov/links_organprocure_org.html#NC

[Grampy™]

I've signed up as an organ donor many years ago.... but to tell ya the truth, mine are gonna be so used up that they won't be much good to anyone else. :D

[jppe]

They can have anything of mine that's reusable. My kidneys will probably have so many kidney stones it might be like finding a pearl in an oyster shell......At least I've gotten over passing a stone every 3 mos.

[webist]

.....At least I've gotten over passing a stone every 3 mos.

Ouch!
I've had 2 in 54 years and consider that far too frequent.

[fsor]

I heartily recommend the donor aspect to one and all. However, I suggest that you let your spouse or sweet one know that they are in for a bit of a trial when the time comes. My wife lost a 16mo battle with breast cancer a bit over two years ago. It is necessary, within hours, for the hospital medical director and the manager of the donor service to decide what organs are usable. They will call the durable power or spouse and put them through a rather difficult interview about personal habits, medical history and so on. This is a very tough scene for a survivor, they should be prepared for it. This call comes at the worst possible moment in a person's life and I can tell you, it ain't easy. After all the therapy Carol went through, they didn't even want her corneas.....took about 50min spread between three back-to-back phone calls to arrive at that decision.

[Blackberry]

I've signed up as an organ donor many years ago.... but to tell ya the truth, mine are gonna be so used up that they won't be much good to anyone else. :D

Ditto on all counts.

[centexwoody]

bless you & your courage for having experienced the anguish of slow loss and still being willing to offer up your beloved's potential to the living

as I read your message, my heart sank, my eyes filled & I just stared out the window to count my own blessings as of this day

thank you for your courageous contribution to this discussion

[LastPlace]

Thanks to one and all for the comments and experiences. In all probability as we get older there is less that is usable, but on the other hand, our bodies might still be usable as teaching tools. I would rather have an intern practice on me after I am dead than on a living person.

fsor,
Didn't mean for those comments to be insensitive.

[FarHorizon]

...That makes me wonder how many folks here are organ donors?...

I'm one. Additionally, both my wife and I have signed leaving our bodies to the medical school. After we're gone, we just won't care anymore! :p Whatever good we can do for others is fine with us.

[Red Baron]

I'm an organ donor (designee) also. Even at 59+ I figure if someone has something I need (that is -if I pass on) they are welcome to it. BTW in KY you MUST register(sp?) as such or seek permission from spouse/guardian. Also- I have a living will.

[stercomm]

Ohio is the same as SC and CA, you can designate yourself as an organ donor when you get your driver's license. I've had it for probably 10-12 years. FSOR has some very good insight on the reality of this, that had to be tough. If I'm dead I certainly don't need the organs so if someone else can have their life prolonged that is great.

[stapfam]

We have the System here in the UK but is a bit neglected in the donor card stakes. Then there is the legal problem of taking organs quickly enough to be of use without the next of kins Knowledge, even though the card is carried.
Friend of mine died of a heart attack a few years ago and his organs were not suitable until an autopsy was done and then it was too late. Organ donor cards are a good idea- but there are pitfalls. There is talk of every persons organs on death being made available for donorship- unless you opt out. But that will bring another set of problems for the courts to sort out.

I don't carry a donor card- but all my family have agreed that on death- Any organ can be taken to save life or improve someone else's, but not for profit to anyone.

[fsor]

I didn't mean to bring the list down but to inject a little "how it works in California". I would not have wanted to be doing pearly gates duty when sydney came through. Informing him that a text-messaging teenie did him in must have been memorable. But if you got him and my wife together I think that they would agree that he did it right. I hope that everyone that has a family pays as much attention to tune ups on the body as they do their driveline. My wife got her first mamogram at 51....she was already terminal. Been putting of a check-up have you? Let's live long enough to wear it out, or get run over by a jackass. sorry for the bummer

[farrellcollie]

The NAtional Kidney Foundation http://www.kidney.org/transplantation/ has info on its website about transplant and donation (both living donor and not). My 63 yr old mother's kidneys, liver, pancreas, corneas and tissue were all used when she died suddenly of a brain aneurism. My Dad (who is quite active in donation encouragement - gives talks and info and stuff) and I attended (as donor family participants) the 2006 transplant games this year sponsored by the kidney foundation (but includes all kinds of transplants - games on the lines of olympics are for organ recipients only).

[LastPlace]

Keep the stories and ideas coming and perhaps together we can do some real good.