Donate and give somebody a second chance at life
Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2008
What do you know about human organ and tissue donation ?
Perhaps you are a donor, or maybe somebody you know - a member of your family, or even you - is a recipient.
My wife and I are organ donors. It says so on our Arkansas driver's licenses. In this state, if you are old enough to make that decision, having it appear on that official document is all you need. I have been told it cannot be contested.
That information, and more, comes from Mary Huss, an education specialist with the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency, or ARORA, as it is more commonly called.
She was the recent speaker at the Bella Vista Kiwanis Club, and I had the pleasure of hearing her talk that morning.
I thought I knew a lot about organ donation; after all, I have been a donor for as many years as I can recall. But I found out that day that I didn't know as much as I thought.
I learned, much to my surprise, that on any given day in this country, as many as 99, 000 people are on a list awaiting either an organ or tissue donation. Most of those are hoping for kidneys, about 81, 000. I always thought hearts were the ones most needed, but they only account for about 2, 700 of those nearly 100, 000.
Second to kidneys are those hoping for livers, some 16, 000. Those in need of a pancreas number about 1, 600. And the remainder are intestines, eyes and other vital organs.
I also learned that only about two-thirds of those needing a transplant would receive it. That's the nicer way of thinking about it.
Actually, what Huss told us that day was one-third of those people would die.
That number really bothered me. I couldn't help but ask myself," Why ?"
Why, with all of the millions of people we have in this country who are eligible donors, would 33, 000 of our friends and neighbors have to die each year because
The more I thought of it, the more the same answer kept coming to me. It is only because people do not sign up while they are alive that there are not enough organs to go around.
Obviously, once you die it is too late to make that commitment. And in many cases, if you are on life support and the decision is up to a surviving spouse or family member, they might not agree to the donation.
So why wait ? Why not go ahead and make your wishes known now while you can ?
Talk to your family. Both Martha and I have. They know we want to give the gift of life after our deaths.
Get it on an official document, like your driver's license or in a living will.
And speaking of living wills, does your family have any idea what you want to happen to you should you become physically incapacitated ? What's to become of your estate should you die ?
Once again, Martha and I are ahead of the game. We've had those documents for a number of years now. I do need to get them looked at by a local attorney because they were drafted in Florida. But at least they exist in some form.
If you don't know it by now, unless you designate what is to happen to all of Organs: your stuff when you die, the government will take it and divvy it up.
So, if there is something you want your survivors to have, make it clear in a will. Be as specific as you want – even stating who is to receive nothing if that is your wish.
You can tell the survivors what sort of send off you want. Do you want a fullblown funeral or will you be cremated and only close friends and family attend a memorial service ? You decide.
If you don't want to use an attorney because you believe it might cost too much, or you simply don't like them – I can't understand why you wouldn't – there are options. There are Web sites on the Internet where one can draft their own documents. I am not advocating them specifically because I know nothing about them. I don't know how secure they are and I don't know how such a document would hold up if contested by a surviving member of the family. It's your basic buyer-beaware I think. Do your homework and know that you are getting what you need and what you want.
A living will lets your family know your desires in the event you are incapacitated.
Do you want to be kept alive with machines ? You have a choice, but you must make it before disaster strikes. And since we cannot determine when that might occur, time is of the essence.
Asking a family member to authorize the "pulling of your plug "and ending your life might be something they cannot bring themselves to do. If you have the document in place, they don't have to make that decision. You already have.
And since this is a legal document, I recommend you do what my wife and I did and seek out an attorney. This is one place you might want to stay away from your brother-in-law when he tells you he can do it for you – unless of course he has a law degree and is licensed to practice his chosen trade.
I know people who find it difficult to talk to their families about death. They think it is maudlin. But death is as much a part of life as our birth was. And it was a joyous occasion. So why not try as best you can to make your passing a celebration ?
Make plans today. Take the pressure off of those who will survive you who will be in their darkest moment, perhaps not in the best frame of mind to make those decisions for you.
Make your plans now. Those you leave behind, or those who live because of your generosity, will thank you.
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