Organ "Harvesting"

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

thcri: Awe, gee whiz. You seem to be laboring under the delusion you live in a "free" country. Why shouldn't the gov do what they want with your bod after you're gone? They do what they want with your work while you're alive (60% or so of what everybody earns is looted from them). Now they're trying to outlaw cloning-there's the ultimate source for "organ harvesting". Do a couple and keepem out in the barn until needed! JEH

 

[Inspector507]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

pete,
I read all the posts several times before deciding to add my .02 in here. If one decides to be a donor, more power to them. If they decide not to, I support that as well. I just wish there were more viable organs out there for the people who need them.
I've seen other sides so to speak. My brother used to work for LifeLine of Ohio-Organ Procurement aka LOOP. I thought that was such a gruesome job, harvesting tissue and organs from "dead" bodies. Then I got to meet a few of the recipients at their annual functions. To see the smiles on their familes faces.
Then my brother, who was on call, got a page to report to the local hospital. He responded as usual, only to find that the donor was my youngest brothers fiance' who had been in a motorcycle accident without a helmet. He did the job he was hired to do, amidst all the tears his body could produce( and mine right now).

It was weeks later I suppose, that LOOP got pictures and letters from the families of the recipients of all Trisha's organs had helped. All of them were shared with the family which was against policy but, at least I know that because a little, beautiful, petite 18 year old was a donor, 9 people have a better life. Or even a life to celabrate with their families.
Sorry to run on and on, but I was a donor until my health prevented it. And I hope somone is kind enough when I need one, that they signed the voluntary card.

Now for making it mandatory, I would be against that, just because they did not wear a helmet. No doubt the sponsor was a Doctor, they get tired of seeing a life wasted.
BTW, I decided I did not want to wear one when I rode. For now, I no longer ride due to health reasons.

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
Jerry

 

[thcri]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

Hey Grimreaper,

Your absolutely right. I guess what I was trying to say, before and I guess now after death they have thier nose into everything. We are not the free country we think we are.

Murph

 

[Egon]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

Clone a dozen or so of me and see ifn you can keep em ina barn.

Egon

 

[ChuckinVA]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

I think when I leave this old earth I won't have much use for my organs. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif If someone else can benefit, they're welcome to them. I just hope they have some wear on them before I go ! ( Not worn out)

 

[Gfranklin]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

My Mother passed away about a year ago suddenly from a brain aneurysm. She was a donor and immediately after the life support decision we were introduced to the donor people who were fantastic. She was 73 and in excellent health otherwise. We later learned that her liver and corneas were utilized.

While this was tough, knowing of her gift has been a comforting feeling for the rest of us. The donor administrators have periodically kept in touch and recently they sent a small teddy bear which we put in her curio cabinet with her Beanie Baby collection. It makes me smile now.

I ride as well and am also a donor. I used to not be sure how I felt about it other than when the time came, I wouldn't care. Now I feel a LOT better about it.

Greg

 

[heehaw]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

i'd rather donate everything that can be used, and even send my body to a medical or research shool/lab, than have my family pay the price of having the remains stuck in the ground to rot. my wife disagrees, i keep telling my kids, if she buries me, keep the grass killed off with roundup or something, and tell everyone "he was so mean, grass won't even grow on top of him". i appreciate any and all organ donors, but i don't think less of anyone thats not, it is a personal decision. i have a donor heart valve, and am thankful that someone was willing to make that sacrifice. there were other options available, but with kidneys, livers etc etc, pig parts or mechanicals just aren't there, yet.
heehaw

 

[JTD]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

I'm certainly not in favor of a mandatory approach to organ donation for any reason. I know that this is driven by the significant shortage of available donor organs throughout the country and many potential recepients die due to this shortage. Our best hope is that research will develop artificial replacement tissues/organs. I don't expect to see these in widespread use for the next 10 years or so but breakthroughs can happen. I am the recepient of a donated liver 14 years ago and was very fortunate at that time.

 

[Wingnut]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

Jerry,

excellent post.

I was going to leave it at my response to Ranchman ... but everyone's experiences prompt me to say:
"I understand, and I'm happy for you all".
My viewpoint is an evolved one. I had my donor card signed for a great many years. However, the company I work for did such a magnificent job of pushing organ donations in our faces for so many years that they began to make me actually think about it (since my initial response was ... I won't need my body, if some one else can, why not ...). Then I began to look around at my family.
My grandmother's body outlived her mind by some 10 years. For the last 5 years of her life, she lived in a section of the local hospital (they didn't have a full-care private facility in that area) for the extreme elderly and Alzheimers patients. She likely added 10 years to my mother's age ... from stress ... my mother felt obligated to see her daily (then every second day, then finally down to twice a week) for the last 10 years. It distressed her greatly to see her mother in a senile fog, her only memories those of her own youth. My grandmother seemed to know she should recognize my mother ... but honestly didn't other than she was a frequent visitor. (She died at 96.)
My brother-in-law went through the whole repair, repair, replace regime for his heart. Almost didn't survive the initial transplant operation. Had a near fatal heart attack at 3 months ... another at 6 months and a final fatal one at 12 months. Turned my sister, who was at his side through everything, into an alcoholic. And ended up costing her a lot of money as the creeps at the bank used the excuse they didn't know he had a transplant to deny the insurance on the loan .. and repossessed the new car they'd bough some 6 months previously.
I could go on ... but suffice it to say, our beliefs are a product of our experiences, and my experiences still tell me that we will not live forever, living [blue]too[/blue] long is not necessarily a good thing, and we affect those around us ... very much.
I miss Dorothy every day, and I beat myself up with the thought she might not have taken her life (to end the pain and suffering) if I'd tried even harder. But I also realize that it's selfish for me to have wanted her to outlive me, suffering nonwithstanding, just so I wouldn't be alone.
I realize that parts of me could be used to benefit another after I'm "gone" ... but I choose that when I go ... I go. Ashes to ashes.
OK ... enough being maudlin .... my initial posting was in reaction to the proposed legalization of murder by a New Mexican physician/politician ... not anti-transplant.

What an absolutely amazing breadth of experiences we have on this board!

pete

 

[hazmat]

Re: Organ \"Harvesting\"

Jerry,

That is a touching story, after reading it, I've decided to sign myself up. I never did before because 1. I'm young & will live forever so don't need to make that decision anytime soon, & 2. It is a decision that requires more than 5 seconds of thought they give you at the DMV when getting / renewing your license.

Thanks for sharing.