Organ Donation

[poozie]

I am for for Opt out but for selfish reasons as I need a new pair of lungs and as things stand at the moment I only have a 50% chance of getting them. I am on doner register myself though, I am one of the 24% of the population. I believe that those who would choose to opt out would be quick to accept a donated liver or kidney themselves if backed into a corner like I am.

Its upsetting for me to think that organs that could save lives are being eaten away by maggots in the ground or cremated just because people are too self possessed to give them up upon death. In fact what is the point of keeping your organs if you are to be cremated anyway?

http://www.uktransplant.org.uk

[TPeers]

To give a totally emotional response Poozie, because how can I morn to loss of a loved one if half of them is still in use!

They have neither stayed nor gone, there is no closure. I cannot 'glory' in their continuance - I have no knowledge of who has become part of what I have lost, only that the person I have lost is not truely dead. And if they are not truely dead how can I hope for their redemption and a place in heaven?

They are not dead for part of them lives, heaven is denied them. They do not live for part of them has died, earth cannot hold them.....

Where are the people I love in your world?





I'm sorry.... I won't read this thread again..... and I can understand your point of view, I just cannot agree with it.

Terry

[moggssue]

A child I know said she would need her eyes in heaven so she could see all the people she was going to meet up with again when she got there!

On the giving blood side, I have tried several times but am told I don't weigh enough, through no fault of mine I assure you.

[poozie]

So as i have Cystic Fibrosis I should be allowed to die and thus remove my tainted genes from gene pool. Why is my life less valid than anyone elses? Should I give up now for sake of mankind and not get sentimental about it??????? Mankind is on a road to extinction anyway.

[poozie]

To Terry,

The doner of my new lungs would be celebrated everyday and I would give thanks to their life and their selfless gift to me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it is harsh to suggest that I wouldn't care about whose lungs I had taken. The soul is what goes to heaven not the body.

[poozie]

sorry guys, but this is an emotional subject for..........i didn't mean to rant.

[Birdie Wife]

That's okay poozie, it's a subject that's touched many people on personal levels and especially those like yourself who are directly connected. Personally, I would respect the wishes of those who didn't want their bodies used, as long as it was an informed choice. Death is a huge subject and everyone has their own views, but from my own religious viewpoint I believe we all get new bodies in heaven, free from ailment or disease, and therefore I am happy for parts of my old body to be used for the good of others.

[poozie]

The problem with opt in as it stands at the moment is that while 80% of the population apparently agree with organ donation, only 24% have actually signed up which means it is left for relatives to decide.

I totally agree with the fact that everyone has a choice and shouldn't be forced by anyone including government but as the idea is to OPT OUT then if you are too lazy to and then you die and you are harvested against your will then really it is bad luck.

It took me less than 5 minutes to sign up my good organs, it would take the same to opt out I guess.

Actually if people actually believe you are lumbered with your carcass throughout eternity then you would think they would be taking better care of them. :-)

[Birdie Wife]

You'd think

I'm quite looking forward to no more aching joints, maybe I could put in for a new nose while I'm at it...

[poozie]

I would like to be taller with real blonde hair and eyes not the colour of the north sea.

[valmarg]

As I've said in a previous post, irrespective of whether I would be willing to be a donor, I am too old. I'm not sure what the age is that you are no longer of any use, but I think it could be about 35-40.

At the other end of the spectrum, say you have a child, grandchild, nephew or neice that dies under the age of 10. They are, in most cases, too young to make an informed decision on the subject. Are the opt-out lobby saying that it would be all right for the State to come along and harvest what organs it wanted, without the consent of the family?

Whilst I sympathise with you poozie, would you be happy knowing that your life saving donation had been acquired from an uninformed child, and without the consent of the family?

I think this is far too complicated a subject, and cannot be solved by another of this Government's 'knee jerk' reactions!

valmarg

[Shelle]

The problems I have always found with organ donation is that no matter how strongly you want your organs to be donated it still boiled down to your next of kin to make that decision. And when a loved one has just died, it is not the best of times to think clearly and make a rational decision.

I have always carried a card, but never registered online. Does this actually take the decision away from the next of kin if you register online?

I personally prefer opt in so that you personally make the decision and are in full control.

[poozie]

www.uktransplant.org.uk

I hope every one takes the time to visit this site. Opt out won't mean a free for all on peoples organs, it just means that people won't die waiting for a transplant. Many of these people are dead men/women/children walking (if indeed they are able to do that), an organ that is no longer of any use to its owner would change their lives.

oh yes older people can be donors too according to transplant website.

Can older people be donors?

Yes, in the case of cornea and some other tissue, age does not matter. For other organs it is the person's physical condition, not age, which is the deciding factor. Specialist healthcare professionals decide in each case which organs and tissue are suitable. Organs and tissue from people in their 70s and 80s are transplanted successfully.

[moggssue]

Interesting link Poozie - and having known someone with cystic fibrosis I have a bit of an idea what you go through. As I said previously I opted in to organ donation many years ago despite having reservations, which are not to do with saving lives but with the size of the population and our ability to house/feed us all in the future. To go slightly off thread, I do wish you well and hope that you are soon able to have your needed operation

[poozie]

Thanks for you best wishes. Its a pain in the neck but its never stopped me doing what I want, maybe due to my stubborness and determination rather than anything else. Only this year have things worsened to the extent that I struggle at allotment now. So I do the seed sowing and my husband does manual labour. But far from being just the donkey worker he is now taking a keen interest which has had a postitive effect on his health. Just being in the fresh air (longs its not too fresh) does me good too.