Organ Donation

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by CUGreekgirl
Unlike many of my friends I didn't decide to do it b/c you get a cheaper license,

Really? I've never heard of that. How much of a discount do you get?

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by Lindz928
I thought I heard something about having to actually have it written in your will for them to be able to take your organs. Does anyone know about this?

Pretty much. Even if you are designated as an organ donor on your license, the hospitals still have to have written consent from a spouse or a family member before they'll take your organs.

So, if I decide that I don't want Mr. AXiD670's organs donated, even though it says he is an organ donor on his driver's license, I can prevent them from taking his organs.

[gpb1874]

i don't know that it necessarily needs to be in your will. after all, that thing is usually read after you're dead, which won't do any good. now, if you tell your family about it, then that's good. doctors MUST have permission from your next of kin in order to remove organs for transplant or medical use, just like they get permission to perform surgery or anything else.

make sure your family knows your wishes and is willing to follow through. i do want to donate my organs, but my DH does not want to donate his. he thinks it's creepy too. so, as long as he is willing to tell the dr's my wishes, we are all good. if not, i will come back and haunt him forever.

[WCUgirl]

Well, not a will. A living will or a power of attorney, I guess.

I didn't see anyone else bring this up in the previous posts (although I did only skim), but I know I'm not the only one who has heard this and is curious about it.

I dated a paramedic a few years back, and he used to tell me NOT to be an organ donor. He told that if he arrived at the scene of an accident, if the vic was designated as an organ donor, there is a point where they will determine that if the injury is critical enough, they won't try as hard to save the person as they have to start worrying about harvesting the organs, versus someone who is not an organ donor when they will still continue the life-saving effort. Is this true?

(Yep, I see Jill mentioned that. It would be one thing to come up with that theory on my own, but it's entirely another when I heard it from the mouth of a paramedic. Though he was a jackass....)

I've looked for this on snopes but the only thing a search for "organ donor" brought up was about the tourists waking up in a bathtub full of ice, lol.

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by AXiD670


I dated a paramedic a few years back, and he used to tell me NOT to be an organ donor. He told that if he arrived at the scene of an accident, if the vic was designated as an organ donor, there is a point where they will determine that if the injury is critical enough, they won't try as hard to save the person as they have to start worrying about harvesting the organs, versus someone who is not an organ donor when they will still continue the life-saving effort. Is this true?

The most recent posts kind of cancel that theory out, I would guess. If they need a living will or a relative's permission in order to use your organs, they're not going to decide whether or not to save you just from looking at your driver's license.

[JennRN]

Originally posted by AXiD670

I dated a paramedic a few years back, and he used to tell me NOT to be an organ donor. He told that if he arrived at the scene of an accident, if the vic was designated as an organ donor, there is a point where they will determine that if the injury is critical enough, they won't try as hard to save the person as they have to start worrying about harvesting the organs, versus someone who is not an organ donor when they will still continue the life-saving effort. Is this true?

Actually, if we know a person is an organ donor, we have to work harder to keep them "alive" while harvesting organs-if that person is brain dead, you have to work really hard to keep their body functioning to keep blood flow to all the organs. It's a really intensive process that requires alot of coordination between the MD's, the organ procurement service, and the nurses. The patient becomes a one to one-meaning the nurse taking care of him only has them as their patient, because they get so busy with them-there's a ton of work involved.

I'm a donor. You'd be surprised what can be used from people, even when they've passed away from really severe diseases.

[WCUgirl]

Well, like I said...he was a jackass....

[alphaxikt]

on the subject of organ donation, I was behind a car the other day with a bumper sticker that said "Don't take your organs to heaven with you... Heaven knows we need them here!"

[KSUViolet06]

I'm a donor. Why not give them up? They'll be of no use to me when I die.

[honeychile]

One of the things I have written consent to donate is my eyes. There is a congenital eye disease in my family, and the Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore needs the eyes of those in families such as mine, in order to do research. So, I'm still not a true donor (in death), but if examining my eyes will save someone from disease, that's wonderful!

So... that's a new wrinkle: would it bother you to be a donor, and have your organs used not to keep someone else alive, but for research?


ETA: My eyes are only to be harvested by someone from the Wilmer, or who knows what they need.

[bruinaphi]

I give blood every 8 weeks and am trying to get on the bone marrow registry but there isn't a place close by me where I can register (don't even get me started on this topic).

In California they changed our Donor cards recently so that they conform with the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. We now have the following choices.

A __ Donate any of organs, tissue or parts
B __ Donate a pacemaker (date implanted ___)
C __ Donate parts, tissues, or organs listed ____
D __ Donate my entire body
E __ Transplantation __ Medical Research __ Both
F __ Not donate any organs, parts, tissues or pacemaker

Then you have to sign & date and have it witnessed. You also have to check a box saying you've discussed it with affected parties.

My friends and family are all aware of my choice. My stepmother was my witness. I chose to donate my entire body for either transplantation or medical research. I figure anything I can do to help others after death by donating my body will be more than I can do in the ground.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by bruinaphi
I give blood every 8 weeks and am trying to get on the bone marrow registry but there isn't a place close by me where I can register (don't even get me started on this topic).

In California they changed our Donor cards recently so that they conform with the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. We now have the following choices.

A __ Donate any of organs, tissue or parts
B __ Donate a pacemaker (date implanted ___)
C __ Donate parts, tissues, or organs listed ____
D __ Donate my entire body
E __ Transplantation __ Medical Research __ Both
F __ Not donate any organs, parts, tissues or pacemaker

Then you have to sign & date and have it witnessed. You also have to check a box saying you've discussed it with affected parties.

My friends and family are all aware of my choice. My stepmother was my witness. I chose to donate my entire body for either transplantation or medical research. I figure anything I can do to help others after death by donating my body will be more than I can do in the ground.

That's really good that they make it so easy! My family has a series of Living Wills that would tie up a courtroom for months (since all but two are different!).

[Honeykiss1974]

Thanks CUGreekgirl and everyone else for prayers. What ticks me off is that not only did Allan die waiting for an organ, but because he had no health insurance, it meant him never being put on the waiting list to start.

You see, Allan had Cystic Fibrosis and this lung transplant would have "cured" him - giving him a 60% survival rate. Alan had no health insurance, so he was dependant upon Medicaid, which denied payment to cover the procedure, calling a 60% chance of survival a "poor outcome considering the cost of the surgery, which was $400,000.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
Thanks CUGreekgirl and everyone else for prayers. What ticks me off is that not only did Allan die waiting for an organ, but because he had no health insurance, it meant him never being put on the waiting list to start.

You see, Allan had Cystic Fibrosis and this lung transplant would have "cured" him - giving him a 60% survival rate. Alan had no health insurance, so he was dependant upon Medicaid, which denied payment to cover the procedure, calling a 60% chance of survival a "poor outcome considering the cost of the surgery, which was $400,000.

Oh, Honeykiss, that's just obscene!!! I know people who are on Medicaid who were artificially inseminated (as if that's a top priority!) - Allan should have had priority over people like that!!

The concept of governmental medicine scares the spit out of me!!

[CUGreekgirl]

Really? I've never heard of that. How much of a discount do you get?

I think normal licenses are in the $15-20 range and with organ donation I think I paid $8.