Organ Donation

sddlnscp · Dec 21, 2005

And my living will is very specific, my family is not to override my wishes.

Do you or does anybody know of a good website to find a good living will that is specific like that? I would like to write one up for myself and my hubby, but don't quite know where to start. You can PM me if you don't feel comfortable sharing the information, but I sure would appreciate it! Anything you have written yourself would be great as well - thanks!!!

I am a huge advocate for organ donation, have been all my life. I am registered and it is specified on my driver's license. I also just sent a letter to the editor to our local newspaper advocating organ donation - including a beautiful poem that I found on the website Siri mentioned earlier. I want them to use every last ounce of me they possible can once I am done with them - organs, tissues, blood, whatever. As soon as Colorado has the kids' area of the registry set up, I will register my children as well. My hubby is also an organ donor and I believe my parents are as well.

TechieNurse · Dec 21, 2005

i think as nurses, we are, in general optimists and tend to view issues like this as black or white, not realizing - or wanting to acknowledge - all the shades of gray and the 'dark side' of this issue...

while directed donation (among family/friends) seems to be ok, general organ donation to an organ bank has it's issues. any process with human involvement is subject to human error.

what comes to mind is:

> donations made with incompatible tissue types, complicating the already compromised patient and perhaps hastening their demise.

> in my area, we had donations made from a patient who died of an glioblastoma, with most of the recipients now diagnosed with the same type of cancer, some have already died from it.

***(when i posted previously, i had links to these stories, but now they're old and gone, sorry) the hospital knew about the donor, but did not inform the recipients or families. a quote from the doctors mentioned in the article (speaking to one of the recipients): "'the donor we got your organ from -- he was dying of brain cancer. so, we are 90 percent positive that your liver has cancer, too,'" and (from one of the recipients families) "i kept on questioning the doctors why weren't we told and one of the comments was 'livers don't come on silver platters' and 'there are a lot of people waiting for livers,'"

there is a mistrust of doctors and hospitals. i recently read a news article that cited a study in the feb. 2002 journal medical care that echoes that...

this may be a contributing factor as to why organ donation is not more popular in the u.s.

> the family of a teenaged boy in a golf cart crash, donated his organs, however, none of the organs were used. his body was used for practice of harvesting different tissues (eyes, bones etc.). the family was not told that his organs were not usable, although the organ bank knew it before they asked the family due to the medications given to him in the er, and once they agreed to donate his organs, they had no way to stop the dissection. the family is suing because:

a) the organ bank misrepresented what happened, saying his corneas were tranplanted when they were not

b) all of his organs and tissues were harvested, even though the organ bank knew that they couldn't use any of them , then destroyed them without the family's knowlege

in my career, i worked closely with a nurse who was responsible for organ procurement. she told me that i was naive to think that the most worthy (i.e. sickest) patients always got available organs first. she said sometimes, they like to 'bump' high profile cases as a way to bring positive publicity to the cause. with the feeling that they are hurting few (those with a higher priority) but helping many (other people who would die without increased awareness and donation).

i'm not in favor of bending the rules to further the cause. if the cause were just and un-impeachable, it wouldn't need good publicity...

lastly, there is the bureacracy:

there are differences in waiting times on the unos list in various geographic locations;

there is a lack of transparency in the system;

if you have the money you can register in several different regions (thus potentially decreasing your wait time);

the fees charged by unos, even to be registered on the waiting list are outrageous. now they are charging new fees to find living donors,

unos/opo protocals don't provide fully informed consent to the families of prospective cadaveric donor families;

unos and the opo don't inform the public the organs are not donated but sold by unos.

in summary, the concept of organ donation seems altruistic, but in practice, like everything else humans do, it's not that simple, easy or fair....

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Dec 21, 2005

I decided not to wait until I was dead, although I am and have been since it was an option, an organ donor.

I donate tissue--platelets now, whole blood when I started a little over 20 years ago, and I am on the bone marrow donor registry.

My family all know my wishes....

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 21, 2005

Do you or does anybody know of a good website to find a good living will that is specific like that? I would like to write one up for myself and my hubby, but don't quite know where to start. You can PM me if you don't feel comfortable sharing the information, but I sure would appreciate it! Anything you have written yourself would be great as well - thanks!!!
I am a huge advocate for organ donation, have been all my life. I am registered and it is specified on my driver's license. I also just sent a letter to the editor to our local newspaper advocating organ donation - including a beautiful poem that I found on the website Siri mentioned earlier. I want them to use every last ounce of me they possible can once I am done with them - organs, tissues, blood, whatever. As soon as Colorado has the kids' area of the registry set up, I will register my children as well. My hubby is also an organ donor and I believe my parents are as well.

I'm sure there others, but, you can try here, sddlnscp:

http://www.lawyers.com/lawyers/A~1001976~LDC/WILLS+LIVING&site=688&CMP=KA9385.html

http://www.legacywriter.com/LivingWill.asp?src=yllivingwill&OVRAW=Living%20Wills&OVKEY=living%20will&OVMTC=standard

http://www.uslivingwillregistry.com/

Gompers, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2005

Where do I go to register as an organ donor? It says DONOR on my driver's license, and my family knows and agrees...but is there someplace else to register? I am also on the bone marrow registry list.

We don't deal with organ donation very often in the NICU. Twice in the past seven years, if my memory serves correctly. Both were cases where a perfect baby got "stuck" during the delivery. I was just in awe of the parents. They all went through nine months of anticipation and then never had a baby to hold. Never heard a cry, never saw their eyes open, nothing. Yes, they were devastated and angry, but they still found it in themselves to actually be the ones to ask about organ donation. Any organ donor is a hero. But there is something about parents donating their child's organs that just amazes me. I cry just thinking about it.

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 21, 2005

where do i go to register as an organ donor? it says donor on my driver's license, and my family knows and agrees...but is there someplace else to register? i am also on the bone marrow registry list.
we don't deal with organ donation very often in the nicu. twice in the past seven years, if my memory serves correctly. both were cases where a perfect baby got "stuck" during the delivery. i was just in awe of the parents. they all went through nine months of anticipation and then never had a baby to hold. never heard a cry, never saw their eyes open, nothing. yes, they were devastated and angry, but they still found it in themselves to actually be the ones to ask about organ donation. any organ donor is a hero. but there is something about parents donating their child's organs that just amazes me. i cry just thinking about it.

you can go to this link, gompers. sign up with your state:

www.donatelife.net

i agree, it takes a special person to even see through the horrible shock and grief to donate their childs organs. i cry, too, just thinking about the times i have seen this.

sddlnscp · Dec 21, 2005

Thanks for the links Siri!!! :)

Town & Country · Dec 21, 2005

Okay, so you would let someone else die so that a doctor couldn't make money off the procedure?
You didn't answer my question. Was the organ donor that received bad care your patient or is this 2nd hand info?

I'm not sure what you meant by that question about letting someone die.

That is what I am objecting to.....the potential recipient has to have a huge amount of money before even getting the organ. Sure they need to pay OR costs and that sort of thing I suppose; but it shouldn't cost these people six figures.

I'm not answering any specific questions. You're trying to make me defensive and I'm not....nothing to be defensive about.......the system is flawed and needs to be looked at before I would even consider being an organ donor.

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 21, 2005

Thanks for the links Siri!!! :)

You are most welcome, sddlnscp:)

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 22, 2005

Do you or does anybody know of a good website to find a good living will that is specific like that?

I did it through a lawyer.

Hoozdo, ADN · Dec 22, 2005

I'm not sure what you meant by that question about letting someone die.
That is what I am objecting to.....the potential recipient has to have a huge amount of money before even getting the organ. Sure they need to pay OR costs and that sort of thing I suppose; but it shouldn't cost these people six figures.
I'm not answering any specific questions. You're trying to make me defensive and I'm not....nothing to be defensive about.......the system is flawed and needs to be looked at before I would even consider being an organ donor.

I had a liver transplant 6 years ago. I am not rich nor famous. I never paid a fee to UNOS to be listed either. The transplant cost 0 dollars for me - not 6 figures. I waited 13 months for a liver and am very happy to be alive now!

I am a tad upset about the comment that a donor would not receive proper care and be left to die on purpose. Here is why I don't believe that story:

1. Not just anyone can be a donor of organs. You have to be brain dead with a heartbeat and circulation.

2. A patient that is brain dead should be a DNR anyway

As far as an organ coming from someone with brain cancer - well that is the job of the recovery team. They carefully inspect the organ and OK it before it is transported to the transplant hospital. Personally, I would take the organ from someone with brain cancer than ending up waiting too long and dying due to a lack of an organ.

Yes, I was an organ donor before I even knew I needed a transplant. Why waste it - as they say "don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here."

I would like to thank each and everyone one of you that would be organ donors. Without people like you I would be pushing up daisies now. Instead I am a new grad RN and just accepted a job in ICU.

Gratefully,

Lu Ann

Bipley · Dec 22, 2005

I had a liver transplant 6 years ago. I am not rich nor famous. I never paid a fee to UNOS to be listed either. The transplant cost 0 dollars for me - not 6 figures. I waited 13 months for a liver and am very happy to be alive now!
I am a tad upset about the comment that a donor would not receive proper care and be left to die on purpose. Here is why I don't believe that story:
1. Not just anyone can be a donor of organs. You have to be brain dead with a heartbeat and circulation.
2. A patient that is brain dead should be a DNR anyway

Thank you. Perhaps it will mean more coming from someone who is a recipient.

As far as an organ coming from someone with brain cancer - well that is the job of the recovery team. They carefully inspect the organ and OK it before it is transported to the transplant hospital. Personally, I would take the organ from someone with brain cancer than ending up waiting too long and dying due to a lack of an organ.

Makes sense. But I have a weird question for you. I have heard a few people express that they would not want an organ from a prisoner who was a child molester and died, or someone who was a murderer and died. These people never had the opportunity to be offered such an organ, they had not yet received any organ.

If you had a choice between the liver of a murderer or no liver for another year, thus risking your life... what would you do?

I know, weird question. But I've always wanted to know that from someone who has had a transplant vs. someone who mentions it before they are offered an organ. Seems to me a liver is a liver and it wasn't the liver's fault someone was a turd in life. But that's me, I'm interested in your opinion.

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