Know the Facts about Organ Donation

Life, Gratefulness and Transplantation

2010-05-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to a BBQ. Everyone there was a recent college grad, and thus the conversation naturally revolved around what we were doing these days, since for the last four years everyone’s response was always the same: hungover and attempting to study, then saying “screw it” and going to the gym.

A large percentage of the job-related convo revolved around my occupation as a Tissue Recovery Technologist and the transplant industry in general. Not only did this make me feel super cool, it also reinforced how intense, intriguing and interesting my job and professional field are (and that’s just the adjectives starting with ‘i’). I was asked roughly 3,498 questions, most of which I was able to answer, although once the keg was floated I doubt it mattered if I mixed up the intercondylar eminence with the intertrochanteric crest.

This made we realize something else about transplantation in general that surprised me even as I said it: every transplant recipient lives two lives--their own, and the life of their donor. They appreciate everything twice as much, smile twice as often, laugh twice as hard, give twice as freely.

After Googling around I found this to be a common sentiment among recipients, so my revelation wasn’t exactly original, but it did make me think about how not only do organ transplants save lives, the life that they save goes on to be so much more than a regular “life.” I know, I know: what I’m saying is very subjective; of course people can appreciate life without having stared death in the face. But, I do think that being so close to falling over the edge makes one appreciate it that much more when they’re back on solid ground.

Many people, not just those in need of a new organ, have stared death in the face and walked away, and (hopefully) are more grateful for every day they have. Organ recipients are unique in that they know that the reason they live is because someone else died. Not that this should necessarily make them live a better life, but from the recipients I’ve met and talked to, and from the stories and interviews I’ve watched, it sure does seem like it. They actively live more, they are kinder and more patient, volunteer and donate their time and work hard for something in which they believe.

All of this makes me that much more frustrated when I see someone getting irritated or mad or pissy over something trivial. I’d almost go so far as to say that it’d be good for everyone to, at some point, need and receive a new organ after spending some time on the waiting list. Or at least have their mortality and fragility presented to them in a very real, tangible way, maybe once a year so it remains in the front of the mind. I read in interview with someone who got hit by a stray bullet and almost died, and went on to live the next year of his life with more passion and enthusiasm than he thought possible, thanking God every morning he woke up next to his wife, reveling in the time he got to play with his young son, smiling and laughing and breathing deep the sweet scent of life. However, as the date of the near-death experience got further away, he found himself yelling at his computer for crashing, cursing in traffic, and caring about the nonessentials in life as if he had never stared his mortality in the face.

I’ve never been through anything like I’ve described above, although I like to think that working around tragedy and death and renewed-life gives me a similar perspective. Not that any of you really need a reminder, but I do want to remind and encourage you all to really value the time we’re able to spend together, the sunshine and the breeze and the smell of flowers, and yes, even the rain. Even emotions like as grief and loss mean we’re alive. That we get to feel acute feelings, even if they are “bad” feelings, means we’re breathing, and means that we care enough about something to feel loss and grief.

After all, the only reason someone feels tremendous loss is because there was tremendous love to begin with.

In my company’s office we have a big book of letters written by recipients, addressed to donor families, to us, or to no one in particular. Cornea recipients who saw their grandchildren for the first time. Bone recipients who are able to hike, or go back to work, or simply walk the dog without pain. Liver recipients who were given weeks to live and granted a second chance at life. They talk about seeing the world in a whole new light, appreciating every little thing, things they used to take for granted. That the air had never smelled so fresh, jokes had never been so funny, nature had never been so beautiful.

I’d rather not suffer through an organ transplant, but my goal is to live as if I did.

After talking about this with a various people at the BBQ, the beer had never tasted so crisp, the sun had never felt so nice, and I was acutely aware of how lucky I am to live in a country where I don’t have to live in fear, how lucky I am to be in such good health, and to have stumbled into an niche industry that is as life-affirming as it gets.

I love you all so very much, and I appreciate everything that all of you are.

Alex

10 Myths About Organ Donation

2010-02-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Unsure about donating organs for transplant? Don't let rumors stand in your way of saving lives.

Enough people to populate a small city — nearly 100,000 — are on the U.S. organ transplant waiting list, waiting for an organ donation. On an average day, about 77 people receive organ transplants. But thousands more never get that call from their transplant center saying a suitable donor organ — and a second chance at life — has been found.

It can be hard to think about what's going to happen to your body after you die, let alone donating your organs and tissue. But being an organ donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that can be a lifesaver. Understanding organ donation can make you feel better about your choice. If you've delayed your decision to be a donor because of possibly inaccurate information, here are answers to some common organ donation myths and concerns.

Myth No. 1. If I agree to donate my organs, my doctor or the emergency room staff won't work as hard to save my life. They'll remove my organs as soon as possible to save somebody else.
Reality. When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving your life — not somebody else's. You'll be seen by a doctor whose specialty most closely matches your particular emergency. The doctor in charge of your care has nothing to do with transplantation.

Myth No. 2. Maybe I won't really be dead when they sign my death certificate. It'll be too late for me if they've taken my organs for transplantation. I might have otherwise recovered.
Reality. Although it's a popular topic in the tabloids, in reality, people don't start to wiggle a toe after they're declared dead. In fact, people who have agreed to organ donation are given more tests to determine that they are truly dead than are those who haven't agreed to organ donation.

Myth No. 3. Organ donation is against my religion.
Reality. Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of most religions. This includes Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam and most branches of Judaism. If you're unsure of or uncomfortable with your faith's position on donation, ask a member of your clergy. Another option is to check the federal Web site OrganDonor.gov, which provides religious views on organ donation and transplantation by denomination.

Myth No. 4. I'm under age 18. I'm too young to make this decision.
Reality. That's true, in a legal sense. But your parents can authorize this decision. You can express to your parents your wish to donate, and your parents can give their consent knowing that it's what you wanted. Children, too, are in need of organ transplants, and they usually need organs smaller than those an adult can provide.

Myth No. 5. I want my loved one to have an open-casket funeral. That can't happen if his or her organs or tissues have been donated.
Reality. Organ and tissue donation doesn't interfere with having an open-casket funeral. The donor's body is clothed for burial, so there are no visible signs of organ or tissue donation. For eye donation, an artificial eye is inserted, the lids are closed, and no one can tell any difference. For bone donation, a rod is inserted where bone is removed. With skin donation, a very thin layer of skin similar to a sunburn peel is taken from the donor's back. Because the donor is clothed and lying on his or her back in the casket, no one can see any difference.

Myth No. 6. I'm too old to donate. Nobody would want my organs.
Reality. There's no defined cutoff age for donating organs. Organs have been successfully transplanted from donors in their 70s and 80s. The decision to use your organs is based on strict medical criteria, not age. Don't disqualify yourself prematurely. Let the doctors decide at your time of death whether your organs and tissues are suitable for transplantation.

Myth No. 7. I'm not in the greatest health, and my eyesight is poor. Nobody would want my organs or tissues.
Reality. Very few medical conditions automatically disqualify you from donating organs. The decision to use an organ is based on strict medical criteria. It may turn out that certain organs are not suitable for transplantation, but other organs and tissues may be fine. Don't disqualify yourself prematurely. Only medical professionals at the time of your death can determine whether your organs are suitable for transplantation.

Myth No. 8. I would like to donate one of my kidneys now, rather than wait until my death. But I hear you can't do that unless you're a close family member of someone in need.
Reality. While that used to be the case, it isn't any longer. Whether it's a distant family member, friend or complete stranger you want to help, you can donate a kidney through certain transplant centers.

If you decide to become a living donor, you will undergo extensive questioning to ensure that you are aware of the risks and make sure you're giving away your kidney out of pure goodwill and not in return for financial gain. You will also undergo testing to determine that your kidneys are in good shape and that you can live a healthy life with just one kidney.

You can also donate blood or bone marrow during your lifetime. Contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross for details on where you can donate or sign up.

Myth No. 9. Rich, famous and powerful people always seem to move to the front of the line when they need a donor organ. There's no way to ensure that my organs will go to those who've waited the longest or are the neediest.
Reality. The rich and famous aren't given priority when it comes to allocating organs. It may seem that way because of the amount of publicity generated when celebrities receive a transplant, but they are treated no differently from anyone else. In fact, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization responsible for maintaining the national organ transplant network, subjects all celebrity transplants to an internal audit to make sure the organ allocation was appropriate.

Myth No. 10. My family will be charged if I donate my organs.
Reality. The organ donor's family is never charged for donating. The family is charged for the cost of all final efforts to save your life, and those costs are sometimes misinterpreted as costs related to organ donation. Costs for organ removal go to the transplant recipient.

How to donate
Becoming an organ donor is easy. You can indicate that you want to be a donor in the following ways:

• Register with your state's donor registry. Most states have registries. Check the list at organdonor.gov.
• Designate your choice on your driver's license. Do this when you obtain or renew your license.
• Sign and carry a donor card. Cards are available from organdonor.gov.

It's also important to tell your family that you want to be a donor. Hospitals seek consent from the next of kin before removing organs, although this is usually not required if you're registered with your state's donor registry. The best way to ensure that your wishes are carried out is to put them in writing. Include your wishes in your living will. If you have no next of kin or you doubt your family will agree to donate your organs, you can assign durable power of attorney to someone who you know will abide by your wishes. A lawyer can help you prepare this document.

Why you should consider organ donation:

Being an organ donor can make a big difference, and not just to one person. By donating your organs after you die, you can save or improve as many as 50 lives. And many families who have lost a loved one who became an organ donor say that knowing their loved one helped save other lives helps them cope with their loss.

It's especially important to consider becoming an organ donor if you belong to an ethnic minority. Minorities including African-Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and Hispanics are more likely than whites to have certain chronic conditions that affect the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver. Certain blood types are more prevalent in ethnic minority populations. Because matching blood type is necessary for transplants, the need for minority donor organs is especially high.

Facts about Organ Donation

2010-02-10T07:54:00.001-08:00

Joan Abrams, a clinical transplant coordinator, works with patients awaiting transplants and with families of potential organ donors. "It's a very difficult subject to approach with the family of someone who has just died tragically,” explains Abrams, “but it is imperative for those people to realize that they have an opportunity to offer someone else the gift of life."

Organ donation can also help a family during the grieving process, because donor families can find solace in the knowledge that the donation is a way to extract some good from the death of a loved one.

Many issues cloud the subject of organ donation, and an important component of Abrams' role is to clarify some of these misconceptions. "It's a matter of public awareness," Abrams says. "If people understand the facts about organ donation, they probably will feel less uneasy, and hopefully be more inclined to consider becoming donors."

To address some commonly asked questions, Abrams highlights these facts about organ donation:

• Transplants are performed at no cost to the donor or the donor's family.

• All major religious denominations in America support organ donation.

• The family's approval for donation must be given, even if the donor has signed an organ donor card.

• Allocation of organs is guaranteed to be fair, with no preference given on the basis of the potential recipient's race or wealth. When you are on the waiting list for an organ, what really counts is the severity of your illness, time spent waiting, blood type, and other important medical information, not your financial or celebrity status.

• The donor's body is not disfigured and the procedure does not delay funeral arrangements. Additionally, an open casket funeral is possible for organ, eye and tissue donors.

• Lastly, one of the main concerns that people have regarding organ donation is that the donor's life might somehow be compromised in order to provide needed organs.

"This is absolutely not true," contends Abrams. "A medical professional's first priority is to do everything within their power to keep a patient alive." The medical team treating the patient is not involved in the transplant process and an objective neurological specialist must pronounce that an individual is brain dead before the question of organ donation arises.

Thus, the emergency medical team treating a patient has nothing to do with their status as a donor. Only once a patient has been brought to a hospital, admitted, placed on a vent and had a thorough neurological consult by an objective neurologist is the subject of organ donation even brought up.

The term "brain dead" refers to the irreversible loss of all brain function. The person's other organs may still be maintained artificially by a respirator, but will never function again without external means.

More facts about donation, provided by UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing:

• Almost 100,000 men, women and children currently need lifesaving organ transplants.

• Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.

• An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.

• 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor.

How can I help increase organ donation?

There are many ways you can help:

• Become a donor, and talk to your family about your decision to share LIFE.

• Promote donation at work, in your community, at your place of worship, and in your civic organizations

• Make a financial contribution to support UNOS' efforts to raise awareness.
For more information about how you can help, visit http://www.donatelife.net/.

Want to be a hero? Signup to be a donor.

More information on the organ donation process:

What factors are considered in organ matching and allocation?

Many different medical and logistical characteristics are considered for an organ to be distributed to the best-matched potential recipient. While the specific criteria differ for various organs, matching criteria generally include:

• blood type and size of the organ(s) needed
• time spent awaiting a transplant
• the relative distance between donor and recipient

For certain organs other factors are vital, including:

• the medical urgency of the recipient
• the degree of immune-system match between donor and recipient
• whether the recipient is a child or an adult

For more information, see the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network article on the Donor Matching System.

How does the matching process work?

The matching process contains six steps:

1. An organ is donated.
2. The donor's information is put into the UNOS transplant information database, UNetsm.
3. UNetsm lists of patients who match that organ.
4. The hospital where the patient is to be transplanted is notified of an available organ.
5. The transplant team considers whether to accept the organ for the patient.
6. The patient who will receive the organ is notified that an organ is available.

To understand how patients are matched on the national waiting list, it's helpful to think of the list as a "pool" of patients. Each time an organ becomes available, UNetsm searches the entire "pool" for the patients who are a match for the organ. A new list is made from those who match.

The patients on this new list are ranked in order of their level of match to that donor organ. The organ is offered to the transplant hospital where the first patient is listed. Other factors which may be considered are the patient's current medical status, geographical location, and time on the list. If the organ is refused for any reason, the transplant hospital of the next patient on the list is contacted. This process continues until a match is made.

What is involved in becoming a living donor? Are there resources that describe the process?

If you are considering being a living organ donor, it's important to educate yourself about the donation process, required testing, financial considerations, risks and recovery. For more information, go here.

Are there age limits or diseases that rule out organ donation?

For any death where organ donation is a possibility and consent is given, there will be a medical assessment of what organs can be recovered. There are no absolute age limits to organ donation. A handful of medical conditions will rule out organ donation, such as HIV-positive status, actively spreading cancer (except for primary brain tumors that have not spread beyond the brain stem), or certain severe, current infections. However, for most other diseases or chronic medical conditions, organ donation remains possible.

Unfortunately, many people never indicate their wish to donate because they believe, falsely, that their age or medical condition would not allow them to donate. If you want to save and enhance lives through donation, the most important action you can take is to share your donation decision; if donation is not medically feasible, that determination will be made at the time of death.

How do I express my wishes to become an organ and tissue donor?

First, indicate your intent to be an organ and tissue donor on your driver's license. Also carry an organ donor card. Most importantly, discuss your decision to donate with your family and loved ones.

Why should minorities be particularly concerned about organ donation?

Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Caucasians. Native Americans are four times more likely than Caucasians to suffer from diabetes. Some of these diseases are best treated through transplantation; others can only be treated through transplantation.

Successful transplantation often is enhanced by the matching of organs between members of the same ethnic and racial group. For example, any patient is less likely to reject a kidney if it is donated by an individual who is genetically similar. Generally, people are genetically more similar to people of their own ethnicity or race than to people of other races. Therefore, a shortage of organs donated by minorities can contribute to death and longer waiting periods for transplants for minorities.

Links to various national donor agencies:

Donate Life
United Network for Organ Sharing
Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative
American Association of Tissue Banks
Eye Bank Association of America