Organ & Tissue Transplants: Giving the ultimate gift
By Lynne Bell
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听听听听听听听听听听听 A few weeks ago, Kelly wrote a compelling story about the plight of Saskatchewan's Charlotte L'Oste-Brown-one of the thousands of Canadians who is waiting for for an organ and/or tissue transplant.
听听听听听听听听听听听 To recap, just over a decade ago, L'Oste-Brown was a successful businesswoman and busy mom of two daughters. She was active as a community volunteer in her hometown of Hazenmore, Sask., until she was forced to slow down when her breathing became increasingly laboured, with no obvious explanation.
听听听听听听听听听听听 She was eventually diagnosed with polymyositis-a disease which attacks the body's connective tissue and causes muscle imflammation and degeneration. In L'Oste-Brown's case, the polymyositis triggered pulmonary fibrosis, which thickened the tissue between the air sacs of her lungs. This thickening caused irreversible damage to her lungs and has left her dependent on an oxygen tank for 鈥�24 hours a day.鈥� She has also relocated to Regina from Hazenmore due to medical necessity.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Since her diagnosis in 2003, L'Oste's condition has worsened and even though she was placed at the top of the transplant list for lungs on December 1, 2015, relief is not necessarily in sight.
听听听听听听听听听听听 She told Kelly that in the case of a lung transplant, the organ cannot be 鈥渢rimmed鈥� to fit the recipent's body. Instead, the donor's lung must be the exact chest size and blood type as the recipient. In effect, it must be the perfect match.
听听听听听听听听听听听 While she waits, L'Oste-Brown has embraced a new challenge-that of both raising awareness of organ/tissue donation and campaigning to make Saskatchewan an 鈥渙pt-out鈥� province when it comes to organ/tissue donation. That is, an opt-out registry in the province would mean that everyone in Saskatchewan would be added to an organ donor list with he option of contacting the registry to have their name taken off the list.
听听听听听听听听听听听 L'Oste-Brown explained it to Kelly this way: 鈥淧eople don't know when an accident will happen, so waiting to sign their donor card- to put that sticker on their health card- might not happen even if they had intended to; for people waiting for a donation, we don't always have tomorrow.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淧eople are never too old to donate organs,鈥� she added. 鈥淭here is no age limit and older people are absolutely able to donate, people with cancer can donate, smokers can still donate; they actually have a machine that can clean a smoker's lung up to 78 percent and that's better than the alternative. I can function at 78 percent. But the best decision is, if you want to be an organ donor, just become an organ donor and let the doctor decide at the time what can be used. Someone might have a failing heart, but maybe their kidneys are in good shape.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Of the approximately 4,500 Canadians were awaiting an organ transplant in 2014, 278 died without ever having received a call that a match had been found for them.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Organ donation and tissue transplants are really the ultimate gift-and until L'Oste-Brown succeeds with her mission to make Saskatchewan an opt-out province, the onus is on each one of us to discuss organ donation with our families, sign our donor cards and put those stickers on our health cards.
听听听听听听听听听听听 L'Oste-Brown's motto is: 鈥淚f you become an organ donor, you can save eight lives and change 70.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 It's something we should all consider.
听听听听听听听听听听听
听 听 听 听 听 听Being an organ donor
By Kelly Running
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听听听听听听听听听听听 I don鈥檛 remember why, but when I became a licenced driver and my first organ donation mail came 鈥� the little sticker for your licence and the card you have to fill out 鈥� I did so immediately and asked my mom to act as my witness.
听听听听听听听听听听听 The best I can remember is that the decision just made sense to me鈥� if I die, but something I had could save someone else, then take it. It never crossed my mind that someone would treat saving my life any differently if I were an organ donor or not, which is apparently a common reason why people don鈥檛 sign up to be organ donors. That thought honestly never crossed my mind and it still doesn鈥檛 have an effect on me because I feel as though a doctor would do their everything to keep you alive. They wouldn鈥檛 do a subpar job just because you鈥檙e an organ donor and they could take a kidney from you to save someone else. It just doesn鈥檛 seem like something that would happen to me.
听听听听听听听听听听听 When I thought about organ donation, I thought about being in a motor vehicle collision, while paramedics are unable to resuscitate me, either they know in that instance that I鈥檓 an organ donor and after doing everything they can for me, can commence the process of moving me along to be an organ donor. Organs aren鈥檛 good forever, there鈥檚 ways to keep them active for a short amount of time to be a viable transplant, but there are certain instances where organs are viable or not for donation.
听听听听听听听听听听听 And if I die in a way that allows for organ donation, well鈥� take whatever you need and then cremate the rest of me.
听听听听听听听听听听听 I think there needs to be a better registry, one that is accessible by paramedics at the scene as opposed to searching a wallet for a card that isn鈥檛 always carried. I know for myself, I often take my necessary cards鈥� so debit and licence while leaving the rest behind because I can鈥檛 be bothered by a large wallet. So that means my health card with that sticker on it sits in my wallet and so does that little organ donor card that鈥檚 supposed to be carried with your licence.
听听听听听听听听听听听 So, why not make a registry online that can be accessed and have SGI add an organ donor 鈥測es鈥� or 鈥渘o鈥� somewhere on the front. There鈥檚 lots of room on the card, just a matter of fitting it in underneath your address or on the back somewhere. It wouldn鈥檛 take much.
听听听听听听听听听听听 听 Additionally, on an iPhone anyways, there鈥檚 an app called 鈥淗ealth,鈥� which has a place for 鈥淢edical ID.鈥� There you can place emergency contacts as well as state whether you鈥檙e an organ donor or not. This can then be accessed through checking the app or if your phone is locked by clicking 鈥淓mergency鈥� then 鈥淢edical ID鈥� in the bottom left corner.
听听听听听听听听听听听 I also don鈥檛 believe that family should be able to overrule your wishes. After all it鈥檚 your body, so you should be able to decide what you want to do with it after your soul makes its exit. So, yes your family should know your wishes, but they shouldn鈥檛 be able to change what your decision was when you were alive.
听 听 听 听 听 听听Ultimately, whether you鈥檙e good with being an organ donor or you don鈥檛 want to, it鈥檚 your decision and shouldn鈥檛 be anyone else鈥檚. This is why a registry is important, why it鈥檚 important to make your family aware of your wishes, and why you should make a decision today before it鈥檚 too late.听
