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One organ donor can save up to 8 lives
By KORRENZO MOORE
kmoore@paragoulddailypress.com
Donating organs and tissues is a tough decision, but the right decision can save many lives.
After death, a person who donates organs can save up to eight people’s lives and a person who donates tissues can save the lives of up to 50 people, according to Debbie Brehmer, Arkansas Methodist Medical Center Director of Education.
Many United States citizens recognize themselves as organ donors with the appropriate markings on their drivers licenses; however, after death, some family members decide this is not what they want for their lost loved one. Although any family member’s death is a very sad occasion, one family’s loss can mean the gain of dozens of others.
“In the United States, as of 9:23 a.m. [Friday], there were 99,152 people on the waiting list,” she said. “In Arkansas, we have 340 people on the waiting list. Of those, 18 of them have been on the list for more than five years. Out of those, 15 of them are waiting for a heart. There are 256 [on the list] waiting for kidneys.”
The numbers on the list are high and according to Brehmer, are constantly growing.
“On July 17, 2007, there were only 96,000 on the waiting list,” she said. “A name is added every 12 minutes and about 19 people die each day because they don’t get the organs. In July of 1997, we only had 8 people waiting for a heart. Now, we have 15.”
The sad part of organ donation is although a person decides to become an organ donor, their families have every legal right to stop the procedure. To prevent this, Brehmer said communication is the key.
“You need to let your family know,” she said. “They need to know what your wishes are. You need to talk openly about it and often about it.”
To help family members support the decision to be an organ donor, Brehmer said more education would help people understand the effects organ donation has on the deceased. Many believe that organ donation prevents an open casket funeral, but Brehmer said this is not true.
“You can have an open casket,” she said. “It doesn’t affect the burial process. That person is treated with as much dignity in death as they were in life.”
The process is also free for the family, Brehmer said.
Some also cite religious reasons as their motivation for not donating their family member’s organs, but according to Brehmer, this is not a large problem in the eyes of most religious leaders.
“Almost all religions support donation,” she said.
With the proper facts, Brehmer said families will take time to consider their decisions before deciding against organ and tissue donation.
“I think the more education you have, you can make that informed decision,” she said. “Donating is a gift. Families that donate have a faster recovery period. They know their loved one is still helping someone else and a part of them lives on in someone else.”
After death, a person who donates organs can save up to eight people’s lives and a person who donates tissues can save the lives of up to 50 people, according to Debbie Brehmer, Arkansas Methodist Medical Center Director of Education.
Many United States citizens recognize themselves as organ donors with the appropriate markings on their drivers licenses; however, after death, some family members decide this is not what they want for their lost loved one. Although any family member’s death is a very sad occasion, one family’s loss can mean the gain of dozens of others.
“In the United States, as of 9:23 a.m. [Friday], there were 99,152 people on the waiting list,” she said. “In Arkansas, we have 340 people on the waiting list. Of those, 18 of them have been on the list for more than five years. Out of those, 15 of them are waiting for a heart. There are 256 [on the list] waiting for kidneys.”
The numbers on the list are high and according to Brehmer, are constantly growing.
“On July 17, 2007, there were only 96,000 on the waiting list,” she said. “A name is added every 12 minutes and about 19 people die each day because they don’t get the organs. In July of 1997, we only had 8 people waiting for a heart. Now, we have 15.”
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“You need to let your family know,” she said. “They need to know what your wishes are. You need to talk openly about it and often about it.”
To help family members support the decision to be an organ donor, Brehmer said more education would help people understand the effects organ donation has on the deceased. Many believe that organ donation prevents an open casket funeral, but Brehmer said this is not true.
“You can have an open casket,” she said. “It doesn’t affect the burial process. That person is treated with as much dignity in death as they were in life.”
The process is also free for the family, Brehmer said.
Some also cite religious reasons as their motivation for not donating their family member’s organs, but according to Brehmer, this is not a large problem in the eyes of most religious leaders.
“Almost all religions support donation,” she said.
With the proper facts, Brehmer said families will take time to consider their decisions before deciding against organ and tissue donation.
“I think the more education you have, you can make that informed decision,” she said. “Donating is a gift. Families that donate have a faster recovery period. They know their loved one is still helping someone else and a part of them lives on in someone else.”
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| Even the living can donate organs and tissue |
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