What is organ donation?
Organ donation is the voluntary giving of an organ or tissue so as to help someone who needs them or whose organs have failed. Organ donation is normally done to save or enhance other people’s lives. Donating one’s organ is an act of generosity and any willing donor will be informed about the procedure and will be thanked for their actions to save humanity.
History of organ donation
Organ transplant experiments on humans and animals can be traced back to the 18th century. Scientists tried to transplant body organs on both animals and humans, but the experiments failed terribly. But not all hope was lost because by the mid-20th century the first-ever successful organ transplant was done. In the last couple of decades so much progress has been made in this field as there were several medical breakthroughs including tissue typing, development of immunosuppressive medicines which have made organ transplant very successful, thereby, raising the need for more organ donations. To this day, there have never been enough organs to help all the sick people who need them. Many people hear about organ donation, but very few have come out to willingly donate their organs unless they are doing it for their sick relatives and friends who are in dire need of them.
Types of donations
There are three types of donations, and they are as follows
Brain stem death – It is normally done when a person’s brain no longer works due to severe brain injury. Such people may have permanently lost any possibility of being conscious and breathing. Such people may be put under life support and seem as though they are alive when in reality they are lifeless.
Circulatory death- In this case organ donation is done when a person’s heart is no longer functional especially after they have suffered a cardiac arrest. Sometimes it can be done when life- sustaining treatment has been withdrawn.
Living donation- In this case organ donation is done by someone who is still alive especially when they feel the need to give another person one of their organs or tissue. Organs that are often donated include kidneys, part of the liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, a bone possibly from the hip or knee or even the placenta.
Professional view on organ donation
There are several professionals who are affiliated with the organ donation program. Some of them include professional physicians who are directly involved with the patients and donors as well. I got a chance to speak to a doctor from one of the hospitals that deal with this social issue, and I got to know some of the qualifications they look at to certify that a person can donate their organs or tissues. I came to learn that any person who is eighteen years and over can willingly donate an organ, and their health background is always a nonissue. Even those who have not attained that age can donate but they need permission from their parents or guardians. All a person is expected to do is register with the relevant donating trusts and organizations. Potential donors are then given donor cards that make them eligible for donation. It is possible for one donor to save up to fifty lives.
Donors can give a wide range of organs, but those that are in very high demand are lungs, kidneys, livers, and hearts. That is so because these are the most adversely affected body organs especially due to critical illnesses or even organs that are congenitally underdeveloped. The tissues that are in the highest demand are those of the cornea, cartilage, bone and even skin.
Donors can offer not only their organs but also their entire bodies when they die. Most countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand among others have associations, organizations and trusts whose sole mandate is to oversee organ donation and transplanting. And it is always advised that anyone who is willing to donate their organs while alive or dead should confide in their families or friends so that when they die, their wishes can be honored. Those who are still alive, and who willingly want to donate their organs can contact the relevant organizations. Anyone can take up the challenge and donate their organs; it is even better to take up the August 13th challenge which is the Organ Donation day and celebrate it by choosing to save a life.
The donation procedure is simple and does not pose any threats to the life of the donor. All the surgical doctor does is to surgically remove the organs or tissues from the donor after the doctor has induced the donor with anesthesia. The aftermath of the procedure is that the organ will have been removed, and the recipient is sure to receive it.
Reasons people need to donate organs
It is fulfilling to live knowing that you gave a person who was on the verge of death a second chance at life. Statistics indicate that thousands of people die every year as they wait for donor organs which are not there in the first place. Those people who are living, and who are healthy have the power to change those grim statistics and give another needy person a chance to live. Some of the reasons everyone should participate in organ donation include the following.
There are people who are in dire need of organs.
There are thousands of patients who are waiting for life- saving organs. These patients have families; friends and colleagues who sit by and watch them undergo pain and suffering. For instance, patients with kidney problems use other treatment methods such as dialysis but which are not sustainable. Instead of letting them struggle with the pain, and have their loved ones walk with them throughout their painful journey; it is only wise that any willing donors come out and help in restoring their health.
It is easy and free to register and donate organs
Donation of organs does not require any tedious process because it is free to sign up to donate. A donor will not pay any money, and their families will not be burdened with any cost for any procedure they will undergo. The transplant recipients, their insurance, and Medicare providers, as well as organ recovery organizations, are the ones that are expected to pay for all the procedures donors undergo.
Anyone might need a transplant including you
No human being knows their future because it is hard to predict it. You or your loved ones may end up on the waiting list and all one can do is pray and hope for a donor to come forth to save their life. It is always advised that you to others that which you will expect to be done to you. It is against that backdrop that is advisable for anyone who is enjoying good health to donate an organ because anyone might end up as a recipient.
Organ donation may give another person mobility
In this case, so much attention is accorded to tissues, ligaments, tendons, bones and even muscles donation. Patients can be given the ability to move or walk by receiving simple tissues or even tendons and ligaments. Some might start to walk, dance, skip and run and who knows such simple and minor donations can positively change the lives of other people. In fact, they are not classified as organs but rather as gifts. Who knows a cancer patient who has lost a bone or a body part might receive these gifts and will live the rest of their lives thanking their donors.
It is possible to give another person life even at your point of death.
Nobody will live forever and at some point in life, everyone will die. Life can be a worthy journey if a person leaves a will that states that they are donating their organs or giving parts of their bodies as gifts to patients who are in line waiting for organ donations. Brain stem death or circulatory death are better avenues that anyone may use to leave a legacy where one consents that physicians contact necessary authorities and organ donation organizations to fetch their organs. After all, no one will be in need of their organs after they die and so they can be used to enhance the lives of those who are livings.
Ethical issues in organ donation
There has been concern over circumstances under which donors donate their organs because issues are raised about donors who bow down to pressure to donate their organs. Of course, there are people who voluntarily make informed decisions to donate their organs without pressure from society or other people. It is hard to establish whether one was coerced to donate their organs or voluntarily did so. But the concerned institutions have a way of protecting potential donors who are under pressure by giving them an opportunity to withdraw from the process if they feel like it. Besides, these institutions give the donors adequate information about the procedure so that they make informed personal decisions to go ahead with the donation or withdraw. As for those who wish to donate their organs after death, they are equally exposed to information about organ donation. If they choose to consent to donate, their wishes will be respected, and their family members will be informed but first permission should be given. If one feels it is the right thing to do, then their wishes will be respected.
Conclusion
Technology has made it possible for the development of modern surgical techniques, advanced organ preservation techniques and even better equipment and drugs that have succeeded in preventing any organ- body rejections. That has had a huge positive impact on the survival rates in recent years, but the problem is that there have never been enough organs to meet the demand for them. I believe everyone has a purpose in life, and it will be a good thing to do if people embraced organ donation as an act of saving another’s life and giving the sick hope that they will get better. It is not as if one will not properly function without one kidney or with a section of their tissues and tendons removed. It is possible to lead a healthy comfortable life even with one kidney. The most important thing to do is to understand that organ donation is not a risky affair. That by donating one can save hundreds of people the agony they go through by having to share in the pain and suffering of their loved ones. Becoming an organ donor is anyone’s social duty.
Bibliography
Morris, peter &Knechtle, Stuart J. Kidney Transplantation- Principles and Practice.New York: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2014.
Wilkinson, Tom M. Ethics and the Acquisition of Organs. New York: OUP, 2011.
