Folks, I have posted a similar post to like this for the past few years and I will do it again tonight. I am asking for all of you to help in a very important cause. This is not related to marriage building, so I have labeled it off topic. MODS, please don't delete right away.

On sunday night at 2 am I was called to see a a 23 year old mother of two who was in a head on head motor collission while driving home from work. She was essentially brain dead, but I decided to take her to the OR to give her the best shot...a miracle maybe. We hoped to revive her and give her a chance and keep her organs perfusing. She didn't make it....BUT...

Her family and devestated husband gave the most precious gift they could......life.

The donated her organs. In their moment of utter and terrible despair, they did what everyone one of us hopes we never have to face.

Yesterday, a 46 year old man, father of four, business owner, good community person living in a hospital ICU on IV medications to keep his heart that only works at 10% going got her heart. He gets a second chance at life. He may get to see his daughter get married this summer. I say this to you all, because I belive people who come to this site are good, honest, caring people and we need your help. If you or your loved one is not an organ donor, please consider this. If all of us made this change, and got two other people to do this, we might save many lives some day.

Please consider this important issue. I say this with a heavy heart because this means so much to me....and more importantly to the people who need these organs.

"All that is not give in this life...is lost".

Thank YOU

Lemonman, MD

http://www.organtransplants.org/

Lemonman - I'm an organ donor and so are my sons, and we have it noted on our drivers license, and in a living will.

But I do have a question. There is a poster here whose hubby needs a kidney, and we are the same blood type. But I am 59 years OLD. Is that too far gone? I'm in excellent health and all my ancestors lived to be at least 95. I don't smoke, drink or do drugs, and don't do OTC meds either.

I don't think your age would be a contraindication, your blood group compatability and other medical characteristics would be more important. Do you truly understand all of the possible physical and pychological ramifications of doing a living donation though?

I am not suprised that you were the 1st one to respond to this post. Your my girl <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

LM

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />I'm an organ donor, too.<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Well, what a surprise! I thought I was too old, although I'm sure my kidney will last for another 40 years or so. I've been blessed with excellent health, and never had any kind of problems. Mentally, I think I'm fine (that's what they all say, right?). I realize that my other kidney could quit, and then I might need dialysis, but I do love to read for hours at a time. My kids are grown and on their own, and I have a good life.

And the BEST PART - my insurance pays for all of my donor costs.

Thanks for the story, LM. I'm listed as an organ donor, too.

(waving)

Count me in too! I am a donor, my new DH is a donor, and all of our kids of legal age are donors. DH and I have it on our driver licenses and in our living will/medical directives document. All the kids have it on their licenses AND put on the donor sticker to make it easier to see.

I pray to God that no one near me has a fatal accident, but I do know that they sometimes do happen, and I also know that each one in my family WANTS to be a donor. They will be gone and that's the issue I'll have trouble dealing with. Whether or not they want to be a donor?? Not an issue.

My license lists me as a donor too. My family knows my wishes so they shouldn't be faced with a decision if that time comes.

Thanks for bringing up this topic, it *is* very important.

Organ donation is definitely one of those "something good coming from something bad" situations.

JinGA

Lemonman, in your experience, why do most people NOT donate the organs of their loved ones?

Have any of you organ donors on this thread ever been in a situation where you had a child killed?

Lem... I have a question too. I tried hard to be a living kidney donor... and the doctors and hospitals make it tough. Everyone is so concerned that people are trying to sell their organs that many hospitals are not doing living transplants. The largest teaching hospitals in my area will not even do a transplant for people matched up from the web site where I signed up to find a recipient. This makes absolutely no sense to me! The site is Matchingdonors.com. I am baffled by this obvious hole in the system.
Any suggestions?

I know a guy (not one that I have a lot of respect for), who refuses to list himself as an organ donor or allow his wife to because he believes that if he is ever in a situation where his life hangs in the balance, the medical providers will opt to value his organs more than they value saving his life.

um... that guy is NOT me, for clarity.

Patriot,

In that case, I must have misunderstood when you said, "Froz, you are not allowed to list yourself as an organ donor!"


I am SO KIDDING! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

The guy is the husband of my co-worker.

LM,

Me too, have been for years. In fact, I'm in favor of the way some other countries do it, where you have to say that you DO NOT WISH to donate your usable organs and if you haven't done so, they just take 'em.

Who

lemonman, I am an organ donor per my driver's license. Thank you for supporting this.

Wow... thanks for sharing that lemonman. I am listed as a donor too. I feel so bad for that young womans family.., but at least something good came of the loss.

I think if you want to donate a kidney they only like to do it if it's family. I worked with a man who donated a kidney to his sister. It is very dangerous for the donor as well as the recipient. Maybe they don't want to take on that liability (the doctor's that is).

OT - did you hear about the plane that went down yesterday or the day before that had a team of organ transplant surgeons in it along with some organs that were on the way to a recipient? How incredibly sad... such a tremendous loss all the way around.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/06/transplant.crash.ap/index.html

Mel;

That's a good question. In my experiences, when families do NOT consent to donating their loved one's organs it is usually because of the extreme grief of the situation and the very difficult reality of truly letting go. Time is usually critical and families often cannot cope and come to an agreement in time to truly do something like this.

When you decide to donate somene's heart, you are truly "letting go". Many people erroneously think that they are pulling the plug on their loved one's if they consent to this. They see them on a ventilator and with a blood pressure and think they are alive, but in reality they are dead...brain dead. That is such a difficult decision and situation to face for families. The issue is often emotionally more palatable to handle IF the family is made aware of their loved one's wishes to donate their organs BEFORE such a trajedy. That is why I think the time is NOW to talk about this. Everyone of us should make it crystal clear to family about those wishes....and then put it on your drivers license.

I can tell you that witnessing a parent have their child die and then be able to stabilize enough to donate their organs is one of the most gut wrenching and emotional situations I have ever encountered in this life. I am humbled to tears every time it happens. I can only talk from witnessing this as a physician. The pain and devestation that the parents feel is undoubtedly a million times worse. I have seen some pretty horrible things in my life with my job. I have also seen miracles happen. I have also personally been 100% responsible for someone's death in my career....and I take each of those situations with me forever....BUT nothing compares to having to tell a parent that their child has died. That isn't supposed to happen.

I still get emotional about this issue because it is just so important to me and the miracles of life after such trajedy make this so worthwhile. Education and communication are the keys for organ donation awareness. It isn't a situation any of us wants to be in, but IF we are in it, we should be prepared.

I didn't create this thread to exact pity or make people feel sad or guilty, but to inspire change. If only one person changes their mind on this, or updates their drivers license, then I have succeeded.

I will also tell you that NO DOCTOR tries less to save someone because they see someone is an organ donor. In reality it is probably the opposite.....we might even subconsciously try HARDER. It is only human nature. Miracles happen, and I have personally made decisions to take someone to the OR in the dead of night with little to NO chance of meaningful survival, and some higher power has intervened and saved their life (it certainly wasn't me).

I will get off the soap box now. That gentleman who got that heart I talked about in the post above is off the ventilator and hanging tough. Someone in Maryland got a liver from this trajedy, and a someone is going to be getting a new cornea this week that will help them get back their life and allow them to see again. These miracles are not happening because of doctors....they are happening because of the generious people who see past their own terrible devestation and grief and give new life.

Thank You

LEMONMAN, MD

Hi Doc!

Great cause, and the donor eventually gets their organs back....dust to dust....that sort of thing. And when the resurrection happens we will get "permanent parts" too!


((((believer))))

I know this might sound "bad," but seriously think about all the possible ramifications of donating a kidney while you are living, physical and psychological. It's one thing to donate to a spouse or child and another thing to just donate to someone who has a need.

I spent the last 3 years working with several Dialysis Centers and have many clients who are dialysis patients. Not a life I would wish on anyone. Keep in mind, too, that seldom do kidneys last "forever." There are often underlying health problems in the individual that led to their ESRD (kidney failure) such as High Blood Pressure and Diabetes. Several of my clients have had multiple transplants, so be careful in what you choose to do.

Your heart is in the right place and the need for organs is so great. Just be "at peace" with your decision with a full understanding of all the possible ramifications on your own health and how it might affect those who love you if you "got into trouble" later if you choose to be a living donor.

I am fairly certain that I would not be a living donor unless it was "within the family" and the opportunity for a donated kidney, etc., was not available. The only exception I can think of that I would do might be for a bone marrow transplant, and even that would need to be carefully evaluated (they harvest a lot more marrow than one might think).

Maybe I'm just a living chicken. Donating when I'm "through" with this life is one thing, but while still living...I don't know that I'd be that brave.

God bless.

I, my wife, and my 3 adult sons are all signed up for donating our organs. Lem, good story, good opportunity to promote a good cause. Thanks for bringing it up.

Believer, we've lost no kids or other family. It just seems a reasonable thing to do. Sort of a macabre version of "pay it forward", or something like that. I look at as "one of my best contributions in my life" even though I won't be physically here to appreciate it. Hopefully I will be able to "see" the results from elsewhere?

SD

I have told my children that I wish to donate my organs. I guess I need to note that on my driver's license.

My daughter is only 16 but she wants to donate all her organs and then the remainder of her body for research and learning purposes.

While we are at it, let's talk about other donations.....

Did you know that only a small percentage of those people eligible to donate blood do so? Did you know that a disproportionately small percentage of eligible African-Americans donate blood? Did you know that not all deferrals are permanent. I have been deferred because my blood pressure was too low...my iron count was too low...some other minor things. And, within weeks, I was able to donate successfully.

Additionally, you can donate bone marrow to those who have different types of lymphoma or leukemia.

You don't have to die to save lives.