Organ Donation

When I meet with estate planning clients one of the more interesting questions I must ask is whether or not the client is or wants to be an organ donor.  This is a very personal question. A question that nobody else can answer for us.  In Connecticut there is a process for notifying others that you are an organ donor.  Notice can be placed on your drivers license or state issued ID card.  The other way is through the Connecticut Advance Directives document, which includes several other very important legal statements about your health.

If you are considering donation of your organs here are a few questions and answers published by the Connecticut Coalition for organ and Tissue Donation.

Will my decision to become an organ and tissue donor affect the quality of my medical care?

No. Organ and tissue surgery takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared. The doctors working to save your life are entirely separate from the medical team that would be involved in recovering your organs and tissues.

Will donation disfigure my body?

Donation neither disfigures the body nor changes the may it looks at rest.

Are there any costs to my family for donation?

No. Donation costs nothing to the donor's family or estate. The donor's family is responsible for hospital charges not involved with the donation, and the donor's funeral arrangements.

Does my religion approve of donation?

All major religions approve of organ and tissue donation and consider it a gift, an act of charity

Who can become a donor?

Everyone should consider him or herself a potential organ and tissue donor. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues Can be donated.

What organs and tissues can I donate?

Needed organs include the heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver and intestines. Tissue that can be donated includes the cornea of the eyes, skin, bone, heart valves, veins and tendons.

What will happen to my donated organs and tissues?

Patients who receive organs and tissues are chosen based upon many factors, such as blood type and medical matching. A national system is in place to ensure the fair distribution of organs in the United State. The buying or selling or organs is against the law.

For more information about organ and tissue donation call:

Connecticut Coalition for Organ and Tissue Donation, From area code 203 dial 1-800-446-6362, or from area code 860 dial 1-800-874-5215.

Comments

[Angie Hartford]

Good post. Far too many people die each year while waiting for organ donations. Be sure to put this in your living will, and tell your family your intentions about organ donation.

And remember: we can all help while we're still alive by signing up to donate bone marrow. I met a woman who had the extraordinary privilege of meeting the woman whose life had been saved by my friend's marrow donation. Amazing stuff, that.

[Dave Undis]

Over half of the 98,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. Over 6,000 of our neighbors suffer and die needlessly every year as a result.

There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage -- give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.

[Colin Timberlake]

Interesting post.