Readers Write: Good Samaritans all... with no sacrifice

A dear young friend of mine, who is the recipient of more than one organ transplant, managed to clarify for me the need for this life-giving decision of being an organ/tissue donor at death. She answered all my questions and cleared up my misgivings for the better. In other words, she changed my mind. Therefore, the next good deed would be to NOT keep it to myself. And so, I share this information with you on behalf of a countless number of people still waiting hopefully for a change of hearts.

Donated tissues save or dramatically improve the quality of life for the people who receive them. As an organ and tissue donor, you can enhance the lives of up to 50 people.

Corneas, the middle ear, skin, heart valves, bone, veins, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments can be stored in tissue banks and used to restore sight, cover burns, repair hearts, replace veins, and mend damaged connective tissue and cartilage in recipients.

Organs and tissue that can be donated include the liver, kidneys, pancreas, heart, lungs, small intestine, large intestine, corneas, middle ear, skin, bone, bone marrow, heart valves, connective tissue, and also hands and faces. Also called Vascularized Composite Allografts, which is a transplant of several structures that may include skin, bone, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue.

Heart valves can be transplanted to save the lives of children born with heart defects, and adults with damaged heart valves.

Skin can be used as a natural dressing for people with serious burns. It can even save lives by stopping infections.

Bone is important for people receiving artificial joint replacements, or replacing bone that has been removed due to illness or injury, for example in hand and face transplants and bone cancer.

Tendons, the elastic-like cords that attach bones and muscles to each other, can be donated to help rebuild damaged joints.

Most people can be tissue donors when they die. The local tissue bank – a tissue recovery organization – will be notified by the hospital, medical examiner or funeral home. Tissue donation must be initiated within 24 hours of death, however, the tissue can be processed and stored for an extended period of time.

Each year, about 30,000 donors provide life-saving and life-enhancing tissue.

By registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor, you can also leave behind the gift of sight. Here are some facts about cornea and eye donation:

Corneal transplants first performed: 1905
It is the most commonly transplanted tissue with more than 40,000 corneal transplants taking place each year in the United States.
The cornea is the clear part of the eye over the iris and pupil. People may have damaged corneas from eye disease, injury, or birth defects.
A corneal transplant involves replacing a diseased or scarred cornea with a new one.
Since 1961, more than 1.8 million men, women, and children have had their sight restored through corneal transplantation.
More than 95 percent of all corneal transplants are successful in restoring the recipient’s vision.
Corneal donors don’t have to “match” recipients as organ donors do. Donors are universal. Your blood type and eye color don’t have to match. Age, eye color and how good your eyesight is, do not matter.
Most people can donate their corneas. Exceptions include people with infections or a few highly communicable diseases such as HIV or hepatitis.
Unlike organ donation, corneas can be recovered several hours after death and can be stored. A corneal transplant can be performed within 3-5 days after donation.
The white part of the eye is called the sclera, and that can be donated as well. The sclera can be used in operations to rebuild the eye.

Hands and faces have recently been added to the list of organs that can be successfully transplanted.

These complicated surgeries are technically called vascularized composite allograft organ transplants because they are surgeries composed of grafting many kinds of tissue: bone, muscle, nerves, skin, and blood vessels.

In 2005, the first-hand transplants were performed, and in 2007, the first face transplant was performed. Developments in immunosuppressive drugs help to keep these and all transplants from being rejected.

As of January 2018, less than 200 vascularized composite allograft organ transplants have been performed around the world. But for the people who now have hands to use or a face to show the world, these transplants are transforming lives.

The United Network for Organ Sharing maintains the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Through the organ center, donors are matched to waiting for recipients 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

When an organ becomes available, the local organ procurement organization sends medical and genetic information to the network, which then generates a list of potential recipients, based on such factors as blood type, tissue type, antigen matches, organ size, medical urgency of the patient’s illness, time already spent on the waiting list, the geographical distance between the donor and recipient.

There are almost 114,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant and another name is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes.

On average, 20 people die every day due to the lack of available organs for transplant. A single deceased donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and can save and enhance more than 100 lives through the lifesaving and healing gift of tissue donation. Organ recipients are selected based primarily on medical needs, location, and compatibility.

A healthy person can become a “living donor” by donating a kidney or a part of the liver, lung, intestine, blood, or bone marrow. There are about 6,000 living donations that occur each year. And one in four donors is not biologically related to the recipient.

Buying and selling human organs is not allowed for transplants in America, but it is allowed for research purposes. In most countries, it is illegal to buy and sell organs for transplant, but the increased demand is causing international black markets to grow.

Liver and kidney disease kill more than 120,000 people each year, more than Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, or prostate cancer. One in nine Americans – approximately 26 million people – have kidney disease, and most don’t even know it.

This is a massive public health issue and organ transplantation can be a lifesaving treatment option. There are as many people dying per year of organ disease as are on the transplant waiting list currently.

Dispelling the myths about deceased donation:

“Certain things prevent me from being an organ donor such as age, illness, or physical defects.”

Each person’s medical condition is evaluated at the time of their death to determine what organs and tissues are viable for donation. People living with chronic diseases or those who have a history of cancer or other serious diseases are still encouraged to join the donor registry.

“If doctors know that I am registered to be an organ or tissue donor, will they work as hard to save my life?”

The first priority of a medical professional is to save lives when sick or injured people come to the hospital. Organ and tissue donation isn’t even considered or discussed until after death is declared. Typically, doctors and nurses involved in a person’s care before death are not involved in the recovery or transplantation of donated corneas, organs or tissues.

“If you are rich or a celebrity, you can move up the waiting list more quickly.”

The severity of illness, time spent waiting, blood type and match potential are the factors that determine your place on the waiting list. A patient’s income, race or social status are never taken into account in the allocation process.

“After donating an organ or tissue, is a closed casket funeral the only option?”

Organ procurement organizations treat each donor with the utmost respect and dignity, allowing a donor’s body to be viewed in an open casket funeral.

“My religion doesn’t support organ and tissue donation?”

Most major religions support organ and tissue donation. Typically, religions view organ and tissue donation as acts of charity and goodwill. I urge you to discuss organ and tissue donation with your spiritual advisor if you have concerns about this issue.

“Will my family will be charged for donating my organs?”

Costs associated with recovering and processing organs and tissues for transplant are never passed on to the donor family. The family may be expected to pay for medical expenses incurred before death is declared and for expenses involving funeral arrangements.

What else is there to say on this topic, but to make the decision as if you yourself were on the hopeless side of this dilemma – being in need of this life-saving gift with no organ available.

Each year in this country approximately 120,000 people pass away while biding time on the transplant list waiting for that life-changing organ.

How should you go about this, you might ask? Here are some ways:

Putting your wishes in writing signed in front of a notary, letting your next of kin and family know.
Listing it in your “living will” or health care proxy.
If you’re about to renew your driver’s license, you can check the box, “I hereby make an anatomical gift.”

“Organ Donation Awareness” happens to be the project of the Nassau County American Legion Auxiliary President Kathleen Murphy, who happens to be a grateful organ recipient.