The person at the DMV told me not to check off organ donor on my driver's liscence because, he said, that would make the doctor less willing to save your life.
This statement by the 'medical professional' at the DMV is totally wrong and infuriates me, to say the least.
I have been witness to organ donation in my ICU. The doctors are mostly impartial, and at times reluctant to involve the organ network. Although inappropriate IMO, a few docs don't like the idea of releasing control of their patient. This comes from the resulting 'change in command' when a patient is converted to organ donor status, the RN's from the organ network come in and take complete control over the patient's care. They write orders and consults until the dontation process is completed - which, BTW can take 12-24hrs or more. It's not "instant". We aren't killing people to take their organs, as some lay people tend to imagine.
It is, in fact, a very difficult ordeal for ALL involved - from the family, nurses caring for the patient, the doctor that must tell the family of their loved one's BRAIN DEATH. It's a very involved and time-consuming process that no one takes light-heartedly.
From this extreme sadness comes happiness. The Midwest Organ Transplant Network sends our facility a report on what happens to a patient's organs, or GIFTS as we like to call them. We don't get names, of course...but, we get to find out ages and general area of the country where the gifts ended up.
Responding to the post about the misuse of organs, etc.: When the family signs consent to organ donation, they sign away any rights to decision-making regarding the organs. It's difficult to say what may have exactly happened in the two cases described. When the teenager's organs were not used, maybe it wasn't discovered that they were unusable until they were removed...who knows? With the brain cancer patient, maybe it was thought that the brain cancer was PRIMARY and not secondary mets. Dunno what happened there either. I had always thought that CA made people ineligible to be donors.
It really saddens me when a patient has previously signed up to be an organ donor (ie:driver's license) and then the family becomes involved and elects NOT TO sign consent for that patient to be an organ donor. As nurses, we see the same things happen with DNR patients all the time. It's just shameful to disregard the final wishes of the dying IMO.
Personally, I am willing to be an organ donor. My husband does not want to be one. (yes, we've had this discussion too.) However, no matter how strongly I feel about donating organs, I would respect my husband's wishes if that time ever comes. He would do the same for me. (I told him I'd come back and haunt him if he doesn't!!
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