Are You an Organ Donor?

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, though. Just getting the information out there.

Me either. Which is why I won't get specific since what I have is anecdotal info, although it would make for a great "One Step Beyond" episode. I'd hate to even think I'd changed someone's mind about something based upon that.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Here are some sites that might clear some things up.

Excellent info.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Don't forget to tell your family your wishes! Because by the time they get to your will or check your license, it will be too late to donate!

Great advice! This is exactly what we've done, only sans the driver's license indicator.

I completely agree with your premise - donation is good.

I am an organ donor, I mean why not, if I die I wont need em anyways. Who knows, maybe my death one day may allow someone else to live through my organs, not sure my liver will be any good by then though.

On my driver license it says that I'm an organ donor. The main problem is NZ law no matter what your driver license says permission is still required from your next of kin or spouse before your organs can be donated.

I have told my mum in the event that something happens to me I want my organs to be donated.

Organ donation is something that I encourage all of my friends and family to register for. I myself am. I donate blood on a regular basis which is just as important. I am sure they won't use my liver though, that organ has filtered way too many toxic substances.

I drink and smoke so much, I don't think anyone would want mine

Originally posted by djohnsto77
I drink and smoke so much, I don't think anyone would want mine

I bet you got a big hart, that somebody will want some day, god forbid something happen to you.

My body is donated to the Living Bank.

It's a good program and I recommend that anyone who is not already a donor who is interested in such a donation look into this program.

Every time I hear of this, it reminds me of the movie John Q.

An amazing movie with a heart wrenching story. The shear thought of this ever happening in real life, is more than enough for me to sign over my organs when I pass on. I hardly see that as any reason for a doctor to "pull the plug" on me when my number is called.

I'm an organ donor, but my kin keeps the carcass. I want to be put on a boat that gets set fire from an archer while my family and friends party on the beach.

Originally posted by thelibra
I want to be put on a boat that gets set fire from an archer while my family and friends party on the beach.

Going out in a "blaze of glory" has been formally redefined to the aforementioned. libra, very creative. I like that. In my family, we tend to deal with death through celebration. Grant it, of course, the deceased has lived a full life, we like to throw a party rather than mourn. What you have mentioned would certainly be the shindig of the year.

I hope that it is a an evening that is many, many, many, years away.

Originally posted by chissler
Going out in a "blaze of glory" has been formally redefined to the aforementioned. libra, very creative. I like that.

Thanks, mate, but I can't take the credit for coming up with the idea. Someone told me about these great viking funerals a long time ago, and I've wanted that for my last send-off ever since. I only hope I get to see it if it happens.

Originally posted by chissler
I hope that it is a an evening that is many, many, many, years away.

Likewise, my friend, likewise, on both our parts that is, and everyone else on ATS.

I am an organ donor.

My little sister died when she was 20 and although some of her organs were fubar, she had many that would have kept others alive. My family would not donate her organs, they said they wouldn't be comfortable with it.

I couldn't believe that. My sister was very small for her age and her heart, liver, kidneys, could have kept someone's child from dying. I became an organ donor (in my heart) that day and I put my wishes in writing soon thereafter.

Working in an ER, I get to see both sides of organ donation. Here in IL they just changed the laws about organ donation. It used to just say it on your DL but in the event of your death your family had the last say. Now, there are some additional forms to sign that put your wishes of donation above any relative, power or attorney, or whoever else may want a say. My wife just gave a kidney to her brother, not a random act of kindness but a definite gift nonetheless.

By the way, if you ride a motorcycle you better be an organ donor. In the ER we like to call then donorcycles!

I am an organ donor, I am proud to have my body carved up and perhaps save someone else someday. (except my lungs, they probably won't have much use for those)

I feel that after I die who cares what happens to my body. Im done with it. it's nothing more thian an empty shell at that point. So put me up on blocks and strip me for parts. I don't realy give a darn.

Just as long as whatever they can't use they launch from a catapult into heavy traffic. ( sorry sick inside joke with me )

Originally posted by thelibra
I'm an organ donor, but my kin keeps the carcass.

Just a note about that 'carcass' ....

10 years ago my husband had to have back surgery. His backbone is now fused in a few places. The doctors used BONE PASTE to fuse it. Bone paste - made from ground bones of someone who donated their bones after their death.

We are very grateful to the donor. Without that donation my husband would most likely be in a wheelchair by now.

Almost all parts of the body can be used. Some places will accept a donated body, take the parts they need, and give back what is left to the family ... so you can have that ultra-cool funeral bon-fire that you want, Thelibra.

Anyways ... I thought I'd add that so ya'll can see that it's not 'just' organs that are needed, but also bone marrow and other body tissues. Even the bones themselves. My husband is able to walk today without pain because someone donated their bones and Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville Tennessee was able to use the bone paste from them.

I think one of greatest honors a soul could experience is that your corporeal body could allow another soul to have less pain and a longer life.

This should also apply, when we are upright and walking around IMO.

People who do not fully undertand where I am coming from will find what I have to say as selfish to the fullest extent possible.

I am not a donor. Why?
Break into my house and take all my worldly possessions.
Withdraw everything from my bank accounts.
Lock me up and take my freedom.
Even take my life.

All these things come and go. Some of them are things I obtained from elsewhere. Some are considered a luxury, which I don't require.


But my organs? They are the only things in life that are truely mine. They even have the 'DNA stamp' to prove it.

But I'll be dead right? Well something that is truely mine really should die with me. If I knew that I was going to donate once I die, regardless of my wishes. I would be extremely agitated and feel robbed.

I believe that the one thing that is truly yours in life is your immortal soul.
The body that you cling to will decay, your soul will not. If you want something of this life to take with you why not take the eternal memory that the death of your body was able to give another the gift of life.
The thought of that body becoming food for insects and rats or being burned to useless dust creeps me out more than organ donation.

A friend of mine was concerned about donating in case ambulance drivers chose to work on someone else and allow her to die in the case of an accident.
But organs need to be kept 'alive' in order to be viable, they need to retain blood flow and oxygen supply. No ambulance driver would deliberately allow a donor to die in order to save a non-donor.

I am a full organ donor, all my family knows that any part of my body that can be used should be used. That means the whole works, if my body is too badly damaged to be used for donation I have asked that it be used for science instead. A lot of medical techniques can be practised on cadavers, so even without my organs, I think that I may help to save a life.

Here in Australia the families wishes will also override anything you may have chosen to do with your organs, unless you are a registered donor. Australian Organ Donation Registration

Some would say that if you've lived life so carefully that you can donate your organs to another, you haven't really lived! Donated a liver, eh? Well dammint, you just didn't drink enough. And them lungs? You shoulda just smoked yer head off...

How about that for a different slant on things?

And on the subject of smoking:

A guy calls in to a talk show where they're talking about anti smoking laws. Relates that he'd smoked all his life, and was healthy as an ox. But his doctor kept nagging him to quit smoking. So at 40 he quit. Within months he gained weight severely, causing all kinds of other problems including a thyroid they had to operate on. Within a year, he was a whale, miserable, and plagued with all kinds of health problems.

After two it was getting worse, and after 5 he decided he'd had enough. The doctors didn't know what to do and finally just told him to start smoking again.

So he did, and within no time he was right back to normal. Lost the weight soon after and all the other stuff went away. Talk show host just chuckled.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Almost all parts of the body can be used. Some places will accept a donated body, take the parts they need, and give back what is left to the family ... so you can have that ultra-cool funeral bon-fire that you want, Thelibra.

Anyways ... I thought I'd add that so ya'll can see that it's not 'just' organs that are needed, but also bone marrow and other body tissues.

By carcass I'd pretty much meant whatever parts they didn't use. It might turn out that the only thing they couldn't use was the appendix, but whatever sack of remains is left, I want the viking funeral for.

I just didn't want it confused with donating my cadavar, because I would really rather not get butchered by med students and have my meat an' two veg on display till some college pranksters decided to remove 'em and play Mr. Potato Groin or something.

I'll admit, it's a tad selfish, but I figure I already give time and money to charity, I vote in favor of humanitarian rather than corporate causes, I act in an environmentally responsible manner, and I'm donating the vast majority of my life-saving bits so that someone else can have a shot. I deserve to keep at least a fraction of my remains, usable or not, so that I can give my family a bit of closure (viking funeral or not).