OPINION: Give Your Heart Away This Valentine's Day
By Ania Wojas
The following article was printed in the February 2020 edition of The Campus.
When people think of February, they may think of valentinesand hearts (or lack thereof). It’s funny, then, that people forget all aboutNational Organ Donor Day, which conveniently also falls on that same heart-filledday, February 14th. So, whether or not you have someone to make your hearthappy this Valentine’s Day, you do havea heart … and a pancreas, and probably a pair of lungs, a small bowel, somekidneys, and maybe even a liver. Not to mention other tissues like eyes, bones,skin, heart valves, tendons, and veins. Rejoice! Keep them, enjoy them, andfind out how they may help save lives once they are no longer of use to you.
Organ transplantationtypically occurs after death. This concept, though foreign to us in our youth,is an inevitable end for us all. Perhaps reading this article is not the firsttime you have heard of organ donation; after all, if you have ever received apermit, driver license, or non-driver ID card from the DMV, then you’ve alreadyencountered the question asking you to declare your status as an organ donor.But hey, you’re more than a checkbox on a form, so let’s dive a little deeper,shall we?
According to theAmerican Transplant Association, approximately 114,000 people in the US areawaiting an organ transplant; meanwhile, the waiting list steadily grows everyten minutes, and every passing day that doesn’t bring the promise of a donormeans the death for twenty more on that list. Both living and deceased donorscan contribute to patients on this list, though live donors give partial organs.Although such donors are typically related to the acceptor, losing part of yourbody can, understandably, be a harrowing thing to imagine. So, the focus ofthis article is primarily dead organ donors.
The dead-donor rule(DDR) prohibits organ removal if it would spell the onset of death, meaningthat a donor must be proclaimed dead before transplant. In cases where patientsare pronounced brain dead or otherwise unable to return to a conscious state ofbeing, life sustaining treatment is removed prior to the procedure and thefamily is given a chance to say their goodbyes. One common misconceptionregarding organ donation is that physicians will not put as much effort into savingthem, so as to harvest their organs quicker. This idea, however, is erroneous asa physician's foremost priority is always to serve the patient, as attested to bythe Hippocratic oath which is typically taken upon entry into medical school.Furthermore, if the patient has not elected to be an organ donor prior todeath, this status is only discussed or disclosed to the family postmortem. Themedical providers involved in the treatment of the patient are usuallydifferent from the ones responsible for carrying out the transplant.
Religious and cultural beliefsand traditions such as death and burial ceremonies are often thought to haveimplications on the status of organ donation and transplant. However, this isnot always the case. In fact, most major religions are not opposed to organ andtissue donation as it is viewed to be an altruistic act of charity andcompassion. Secondly, a closed-casket funeral is not required for organ donorsas donors are treated with enormous respect and reverence by procurementteams.
Hopefully, this article has convinced youthat February 14th is, in truth, about so much more thanheart-shaped candies and roses. Even if you don’t change your relationshipstatus this Valentine’s Day, consider changing your organ donor status thisNational Organ Donor Day. Not ready to take that leap yet? Consider just takinga first step and donating blood or plasma. There are so many people whose livesyou could be the one to save, National Organ Donor Day is devoted to spreadingawareness about that fact. Visit https://donatelife.ny.gov/
or www.organdonor.gov for more information on how you can become an organ donor today!
