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SHOULD I OR SHOULDN'T I? ON BEING AN ORGAN/TISSUE DONORMar 13 '00 (Updated Jul 17 '00) Write an essay on this topic.Whenever I get my drivers license renewed I am asked the eternal question, Would you like to be an organ donor? For years I have always answered Yes, never considering just what this responsibility entails. For instance, I thought by just saying yes that took care of the problem - when the problem arose. I found out later that the YES doesn't mean a thing unless you have also discussed this option with a responsible adult. This does not have to be a family member but of course it is better if it is. It is only an alert to notify the organ donor society when your passing is possible so that they can contact your family members. Without dwelling on all the details (I hate to keep repeating myself) but when my son died I was contacted by the local chapter of the American Red Cross Organ and Tissue Services. The weird thing was, my son had just obtained his drivers license three months before and when asked that eternal question, he turned to me and asked just what that meant. I gave him a short answer, and he agreed to be a donor. While driving home with his new license, we discussed organ donorship and what it meant to each of us. Even though he was only 18 at the time, he seemed to have a good grasp on just how important this service is and would be to someone else. In fact, he felt quite proud to have made his choice. Because such a length of time had passed between my sons death and the contact by the donor services (almost 24 hours) I did not think they would be able to be successful by using anything from Jason. Of course, had we been in contact sooner, there would have been so much more that they could have done. Even so, I was amazed at just what they were able to accomplish. I am trying to be as delicate as I can and explain this without being too graphic, I hope you will bear with me. They explained to me that there were several things they would be able to use, in no way disfiguring my son. I made the decision to follow his decision. Several weeks later I received a letter from the tissue service founder explaining what they had accomplished with Jason's life. They were able to use his heart valves, one of which went to a 4 year old boy; they were able to use tissue and bone marrow that contributed to the lives of 6 other people; they were able to use small bones from his legs that enabled one child to regain the use of his legs. In all, Jason had contributed to the lives of 17 strangers. Perhaps one day one of these people will return the favor for someone else, thus perpetuating Jason's life forever. They, of course, will not offer the names of the people that were helped by the donations. This information is offered only if the person receiving the tissue or organ wishes to contact the donor family. This is probably a good thing, prevents stalker types from following these people around looking for similarities to their passed loved one. This does not mean you cannot meet and rejoice with other people that have benefited from this remarkable experience. Every year the Organ and Tissue Donor Families get together to celebrate the lives of their donor-person. This meeting is informal, usually a picnic affair. Generally there are several organ recipients at these meetings allowing you to talk to others whose lives have continued because of the loving contribution of your spouse/child/loved one. There is absolutely nothing more satisfying than meeting a child that has their entire future ahead of them thanks to someone just like my son. Each year the names of new donors are read and a memorial is given to their surviving family. The entire meeting is quite touching and informative. In addition, they hold an Olympic type event every year in which those that have received donations compete in events. At this meeting, the organ donor quilt is on display. This quilt, similar to the AIDS quilt, is made up of squares given by survivors in memory of their donor/contributor. I am proud of my son and what he offered to others he did not know. I am proud to also be an organ/tissue donor myself and have notified all family members and all my friends of my wishes. There is so little that you can do to offer someone else a chance at a productive and fruitful life. Sometimes all you have to do is say YES. Visit the organ/tissue donor site below: http://www.redcross.org/tissue/index.html  |
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