“Any live donor, even if it’s a total mismatch is better than the best deceased donor”, says Dr. Shield of St. Francis Hospital, Kansas (www.living donor101.com). On Sunday night I read a news article on Yahoo News, written by Pauline Arrillaga, about the risks of live-donor transplants. I have never given any thought to donating my organs because I, fortunately, haven’t had any family or close friends in need of a transplant. When I was finished with the article, I was left with the question, “When is it OK to operate on a healthy person?” Even more, would I be the type of person that would risk my own health for someone else?
Making the choice to be a Living Donor is not a simple one, and it shouldn’t be. Living donation involves major surgery to remove a critical organ. The first thing I would have to ask myself is, “Why do I want to be a living donor?” If I had a family member who needed a transplant I would think I would want to do anything I could to help them if it meant life or death for them. Even if they personally asked me, however, for me personally, it would be a tough decision. If I didn’t agree to it, would the rest of my family think I was selfish? If I don’t do it will that person die, and it will be all my fault? I can only imagine the emotional pressure.
It is important to remember that if you decide to be a living donor, it doesn’t just affect you and the person you are donating too, but others in your life as well. If you have a spouse, or significant other, children, parents, siblings, friends, employer, and co workers, what you are doing is going to interfere in their lives too. You will have to take time off from your work or school and there will be time away from your family. In a study that was reported on livingdonor101.com, 13% of living donors believed donation caused conflict with their spouse. One living donor thought it led to her divorce. Some people will think what you are doing is great, while others may think your decision is wrong, especially if who you are helping is not a friend or family member. It will be important to listen and respect their opinions and ideas, but ultimately, the choice will be yours to make.
Today more than 2,800 adult-to adult procedures have been performed in the United States. In all of these, 4 donors have died. Katrina Bramstedt, a transplant ethicist, said, “While the ethical questions surrounding living donation are valid, risk-benefit analysis show that the procedure should continue. “Yes, occasionally something goes wrong, but that’s going to happen in any surgical procedure”. (Arrillaga, AP National Writer) I am assuming some of the risks are bleeding, infection, or blood clots. It is a fact, living donations do have some very real short and long term risks to the donor. If there would be problems from the procedure and I have to be out of work, how will I pay the bills? If I give one of my kidneys will there be higher health risks for me? Can I afford the expenses it will cost for me to be a donor? If the transplant isn’t successful, how will I deal with this?
If you look on Craig’s List or other donor matching websites, you will see people posting ads for a living donor. Obviously then, there is a shortage of organs. “Benefit to the Recipient” is the main reason why the transplant industry is encouraging living organ donations. Organs from a living donor are always healthier. Unfortunately, the industry isn’t remembering that the living donors are people who have families and friends; the decision is a serious one to consider because it may cause physical or emotional consequences for the donor.
If I find myself in the situation where a family member or friend needs a transplant, and if I am a good match, (with blood type and tissue), I would like to say that I could make this decision instantly, with few worries. In all honestly, I think I would have to go through some soul searching before deciding. I am embarrassed that I would be reluctant to do this, but I think the “right” decision has to be the one where the donor feels comfortable with the whole situation. On msnbc.com there is a story titled, “Brother’s transplant gift carries unbearable cost”. It is the story about two brothers, Ryan and Chad. Chad needed a liver transplant and his brother Ryan didn’t want Chad to wait for a cadaver transplant. He was a perfect match and he wanted to be the one to help make Chad better. Chad tried to talk Ryan out of doing it, but all Ryan would say is, “You’d do it for me, wouldn’t you?” So Chad accepted the gift, and then, Ryan died. I do know that being a live donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that could be a lifesaver for someone. While I agree with this, pride, guilt, and desperation are not healthy reasons for donating. The topic of Living Donor is a complicated one. I am hoping that people I know; including myself take care of themselves so this may be a decision I won’t have to make.
This is a real good topic to write on and very touchy. I have to agree that it would take me some time to agree to giving some of myself to someone in my family. Of course if it was something small I would jump right to it but then again what about something major? It is a big and tough desician to make.
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