Kinda OT question... Being a donor?

I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a liver
transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that if
you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came down
to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation. I
also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or parent or
family memeber if I was a match.

It makes me wonder if someone's parent/child/whatever was in need of
something like this if any person would not do it. Is there religious
issues that could arise for some? To be honest, I'm not familiar with any
religions that would say this, although I do admit there could be, as I'm
not educated enough in that, but would you do it?

I know I would, and if I did do it, I would not be feeling like some big
hero-savior for doing something like that to save a family member...

"xkatx" wrote in message
news:HaFIg.17355$395.10379@edtnps90...
I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a liver
transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that if
you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came down
to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation. I
also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or parent
or family memeber if I was a match.

It makes me wonder if someone's parent/child/whatever was in need of
something like this if any person would not do it. Is there religious
issues that could arise for some? To be honest, I'm not familiar with any
religions that would say this, although I do admit there could be, as I'm
not educated enough in that, but would you do it?

I know I would, and if I did do it, I would not be feeling like some big
hero-savior for doing something like that to save a family member...


It just so happens that I'm on a donor list. I'm waiting for a bone marrow
match. I currently receive blood transfusions and Iron infusions regularly.
Normally, the family is looked at first, however in my case most of my
filmily has the trait of the same genetic disorder that I have or they have
other health concerns that disqualify them from donating. IMO a donor is a
hero, they are doing something above and beyond the call of being human and
more often than not the pain and risk involved in surgery (I know this is
true w/ bone marrow) is much more significant to the donor than the
recipient. (dead donors are another issue alltogether)
There are also religious and cultural prohibitions to donate and/or receive
blood products. The JW's being one. While I don't share the some
philosophy as the JW's I will say that because of their beliefs the field of
"bloodless medicine" has made leaps and bounds in the past few years.

As a mother of a child who received a liver transplant, yep imo the donor is
a hero. In our case, it was the parents during their own grief decided to
donate their childs organs so that others could live. It's a extremely hard
decision for someone to donate a kidney to someone or even part of their own
liver. In the case of a family member donating to a loved one, it's still a
hard decision. They have to consider the risk to themselves with the surgery
and/or needing a transplant themselves for whatever reason. My sister won't
donate and she has seen herself what transplants can do. So not everyone is
willing. If my daughter happens to need another organ in the future, yes I
will test to see if I am a match without hesitation but I think it easier
for parents to do what is needed to save their children.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

"xkatx" wrote in message
news:HaFIg.17355$395.10379@edtnps90...
I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a
liver
transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that if
you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came down
to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation. I
also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or parent
or
family memeber if I was a match.

It makes me wonder if someone's parent/child/whatever was in need of
something like this if any person would not do it. Is there religious
issues that could arise for some? To be honest, I'm not familiar with any
religions that would say this, although I do admit there could be, as I'm
not educated enough in that, but would you do it?

I know I would, and if I did do it, I would not be feeling like some big
hero-savior for doing something like that to save a family member...

xkatx wrote:
I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a liver
transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that if
you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came down
to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation. I
also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or parent or
family memeber if I was a match.

I suspect the point of such stories is to educate other people about
the benefits of organ donation. Yes, close family are likely to want to
help but where that isn't an option, for whatever reason, the patient
then has to rely on other people carrying donor cards and the more
people hear about happy outcomes, the more likely they are to think
about doing it themselves.

I understand there was some talk here (UK) recently about changing the
donor register to an "opt-out" system rather than "opt-in" as there
just aren't enough people who are willing to donate organs, etc, to
meet demand. It's a controversial subject but I think it may be a good
idea - my SIL has been lucky enough to have two kidney transplants so
far (neither from family members) and I carry the card myself. It just
seems crazy to me that even though I've thought about it and decided
ahead of time, if I die, the ultimate decision whether to donate or not
will still rest with my family. OK, in my case, they're likely to give
permission but I believe there have been cases where families have
overturned the individual's wishes and even really tacky cases where
they've tried to attach conditions to a donation, such as the organ
only going to a person of a certain colour, etc (yuk!).

I do appreciate that in some cases, automatic donation may not be
appropriate, although AIUI, there aren't *that* many cases where organs
can successfully be transplanted anyway.

Cheers

Helen

"Knit Chic" wrote in message
m...

"xkatx" wrote in message
news:HaFIg.17355$395.10379@edtnps90...
I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a
liver transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that
if you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me
wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came
down to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation.
I also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or
parent or family memeber if I was a match.

It makes me wonder if someone's parent/child/whatever was in need of
something like this if any person would not do it. Is there religious
issues that could arise for some? To be honest, I'm not familiar with
any religions that would say this, although I do admit there could be, as
I'm not educated enough in that, but would you do it?

I know I would, and if I did do it, I would not be feeling like some big
hero-savior for doing something like that to save a family member...


It just so happens that I'm on a donor list. I'm waiting for a bone
marrow match. I currently receive blood transfusions and Iron infusions
regularly. Normally, the family is looked at first, however in my case
most of my filmily has the trait of the same genetic disorder that I have
or they have other health concerns that disqualify them from donating.
IMO a donor is a hero, they are doing something above and beyond the call
of being human and more often than not the pain and risk involved in
surgery (I know this is true w/ bone marrow) is much more significant to
the donor than the recipient. (dead donors are another issue alltogether)

Maybe 'hero' was a bad word to use, but for me, if it were family, I
wouldn't hesitate. If I was able, I know I would do it, and I wouldn't see
myself as a hero. I was tested for compatibility with DS after the car
accident, in the rare, extreme case he'd need a match for blood and all
that, and I did it without even thinking about any pain or anything I might
have. To me, though, if I could help with saving someone, I would. A bit
of surgery or pain wouldn't be anything compared to knowing I could help
someone in need and I didn't. I kind of think, for me, that helping another
human - if possible - is beyond just being human?

There are also religious and cultural prohibitions to donate and/or
receive blood products. The JW's being one. While I don't share the some
philosophy as the JW's I will say that because of their beliefs the field
of "bloodless medicine" has made leaps and bounds in the past few years.

I've heard of this - there was a case here about a family that refused a
life-saving transfusion for their young daughter. This was a matter of life
or death for the girl. Again, I'm really not familiar enough with other
cultures/religions/beliefs to really know anything as far as that goes,
other than what I've heard or the limited experience I've had with it.

"Sue" wrote in message
...
As a mother of a child who received a liver transplant, yep imo the donor
is
a hero. In our case, it was the parents during their own grief decided to
donate their childs organs so that others could live. It's a extremely
hard
decision for someone to donate a kidney to someone or even part of their
own
liver. In the case of a family member donating to a loved one, it's still
a
hard decision. They have to consider the risk to themselves with the
surgery
and/or needing a transplant themselves for whatever reason. My sister
won't
donate and she has seen herself what transplants can do. So not everyone
is
willing. If my daughter happens to need another organ in the future, yes I
will test to see if I am a match without hesitation but I think it easier
for parents to do what is needed to save their children.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

My mom actually asked me one day about my own donor card (here you sign your
health care card if you want to donate all your useable organs or you can
specify which ones or not sign at all) I had always signed my card ever
since I was old enough to sign it. My mom did ask me about DS at the time,
and yea, I can't imagine going through it, but at the time I said yes, I
would not hesitate to donate any of my child's useable organs or tissue or
whatever could be used. My aunt was shocked with this, asking why I'd want
to basically tear apart my, or my child's body if something happened, and I
just told her why not... It's not like I'm going to need my body parts once
I'm dead, and with so many people on donor waiting lists, maybe one organ I
have to offer that I really don't need anymore might allow that person to
live.
It kind of reminds me of the movie John Q where he's willing to kill himself
to give his son his heart. For me, maybe because I'm not in the situation,
I would be willing to do the same. Maybe it is a lot easier said than done,
or easier for parents to do whatever to save their child.

"xkatx" wrote in message
news:HaFIg.17355$395.10379@edtnps90...
I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a
liver
transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that
if
you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me
wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came
down
to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation.
I
also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or parent
or
family memeber if I was a match.

It makes me wonder if someone's parent/child/whatever was in need of
something like this if any person would not do it. Is there religious
issues that could arise for some? To be honest, I'm not familiar with
any
religions that would say this, although I do admit there could be, as I'm
not educated enough in that, but would you do it?

I know I would, and if I did do it, I would not be feeling like some big
hero-savior for doing something like that to save a family member...

wrote in message
oups.com...

xkatx wrote:
I was just reading an article in the local newspaper here about a son who
donated something like 60-70% of his liver to his father who needed a
liver
transplant due to Hep C damage.

I read about this every now and then, and, for some reason, the articles
ALWAYS make the donor sound like a hero. Granted, yes, I do think that
if
you can save a life in any way, you should, but it also makes me
wonder...

Who wouldn't do such a thing if they were able to? I know if it came
down
to my child needing some sort of transplant or blood transfusion or
something similar to save their life, I would do it without hesitation.
I
also know I would do the same without hesitation for a brother or parent
or
family memeber if I was a match.

I suspect the point of such stories is to educate other people about
the benefits of organ donation. Yes, close family are likely to want to
help but where that isn't an option, for whatever reason, the patient
then has to rely on other people carrying donor cards and the more
people hear about happy outcomes, the more likely they are to think
about doing it themselves.

Yes, this is probably true. That never really crossed my mind.

I understand there was some talk here (UK) recently about changing the
donor register to an "opt-out" system rather than "opt-in" as there
just aren't enough people who are willing to donate organs, etc, to
meet demand. It's a controversial subject but I think it may be a good
idea - my SIL has been lucky enough to have two kidney transplants so
far (neither from family members) and I carry the card myself. It just
seems crazy to me that even though I've thought about it and decided
ahead of time, if I die, the ultimate decision whether to donate or not
will still rest with my family. OK, in my case, they're likely to give
permission but I believe there have been cases where families have
overturned the individual's wishes and even really tacky cases where
they've tried to attach conditions to a donation, such as the organ
only going to a person of a certain colour, etc (yuk!).

Picking and choosing which type of person gets organs? I can't imagine lol
A human is a human, and quite frankly, I wouldn't care if they were black,
white, green or spotted purple and pink. I also wouldn't want to be waiting
and not be considered because of something like that.
I don't know much about the opt-out idea... You sign your card here (Canada)
for all organs or you can sign and list which organs you want donated.
Maybe the opt-out idea would be good - make the effort to sign if you don't
want to be a donor for whatever reason, as it seems that lots of people
would donate, they just couldn't be bothered to sign the card. I had a
discussion about this with my mom a while back, and I said donate all
useable organs of mine - I won't have any use for them when I'm dead, but
someone else probably would have use for them - and I also made it clear
that if I was a vegetable on life support, please pull the plug lol I then
said either cremate or bury me - whichever is cheaper at the time, as it
really doesn't matter to me. I also made it clear to family that if
something happens to any of my children, I would like the same to be done
with them - donate anything and either cremate or bury. I do realize and
know that a lot of people have very strong opinions on this type of thing,
as my aunt has a total opposite oppinion and view than I have, and that's
fine. I'd still offer her a kidney if I was able to and she needed one

I do appreciate that in some cases, automatic donation may not be
appropriate, although AIUI, there aren't *that* many cases where organs
can successfully be transplanted anyway.

Successful or not, I'd be willing to take that chance. A while back, my
aunt made me feel like I was totally insane. I have no cultural or
religious reasons to not do it, and technically neither does my aunt, but
again, each to their own way and opinion! I just see no point in hogging
all my body parts when I don't need them anymore lol

Cheers

Helen

You're a heartless bitch.

I hope your illness is drawn out and filled with pain.

Too bad your story is bull**** - I don't believe a word of it.

"Knit Chic" wrote in message
m...



It just so happens that I'm on a donor list. I'm waiting for a bone
marrow
match. I currently receive blood transfusions and Iron infusions
regularly.
Normally, the family is looked at first, however in my case most of my
filmily has the trait of the same genetic disorder that I have or they
have
other health concerns that disqualify them from donating. IMO a donor is
a
hero, they are doing something above and beyond the call of being human
and
more often than not the pain and risk involved in surgery (I know this is
true w/ bone marrow) is much more significant to the donor than the
recipient. (dead donors are another issue alltogether)
There are also religious and cultural prohibitions to donate and/or
receive
blood products. The JW's being one. While I don't share the some
philosophy as the JW's I will say that because of their beliefs the field
of
"bloodless medicine" has made leaps and bounds in the past few years.

wrote in message
I do appreciate that in some cases, automatic donation may not be
appropriate, although AIUI, there aren't *that* many cases where organs
can successfully be transplanted anyway.

That's not completely true. Transplantation has a pretty high success rate
as long as there is a match and the organ is usable, but yes there are
definite times when a organ cannot be used for whatever reason. New
medicines and technology is why transplants are so successful these days.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

"xkatx" wrote in message
news:eTGIg.14669$Nz6.5015@edtnps82...
Maybe 'hero' was a bad word to use, but for me, if it were family, I
wouldn't hesitate. If I was able, I know I would do it, and I
wouldn't see myself as a hero. I was tested for compatibility with
DS after the car accident, in the rare, extreme case he'd need a
match for blood and all that, and I did it without even thinking
about any pain or anything I might have. To me, though, if I could
help with saving someone, I would. A bit of surgery or pain
wouldn't be anything compared to knowing I could help someone in
need and I didn't. I kind of think, for me, that helping another
human - if possible - is beyond just being human?

I'd donate to my child without thinking. For anyone else, I'd have to
think about it. After all, I'm putting myself at risk, and I have
responsibilities to my family, especially my children, to meet. That
said, I would almost certainly donate to my parents or husband or
sister, but it's unlikely that I'd donate to anyone else.

While alive that is. I certainly would like for my organs to be
donated after my death, and my husband knows my wishes.

Bizby