organ donation

Just before 1 o’clock in the morning on Mother’s Day 2000, Jessie and Frank Ginoza, both retired, were startled by the telephone ringing in their Honolulu home. It was a friend of their 28-year old son, Steven, scarcely able to speak, telling them that Steven was in the emergency room with a severe head injury. Frank rushed there but Jessie, though consumed with fear, had to remain at home to take care of their grandchildren staying with them.

When Frank arrived, the news was worse than he had feared. Steven had been riding the rails of an escalator and had fallen 20 feet to the floor. It was clear that he couldn’t be expected to live. The news had spread quickly and 20 of his friends were already at the hospital.

Soon Steven was declared dead. By then Jessie had arranged for someone to stay with the grandchildren and was at the hospital as well. A coordinator from the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii came to ask them if they would consider donating his organs.

“I felt sure he would have wanted that. He was in the bone marrow program and had often given blood,” Jessie says.  “The hardest thing was that his two sisters were away. Steven was the baby of the family and, in a way, he was their baby as much as ours. And now they wouldn’t even be able to see him one last time. One of my friends who came with me was appalled. ‘How can people be so insensitive to approach you when you’re beside yourself with grief? How can they even think of asking you?’ I remember crying a lot and trying to explain to her.”

Frank and Jessie were told that Steven’s body needed to be medically stabilized so his organs could be used for transplant.  Frank smiles sadly remembering that, where before he had been praying for his son to recover and come home, now his hopes were fixed only on him getting to the point where the donation could take place. Both parents stayed on until Steven, now stabilized, was taken into the operating room where his organs were recovered.

Sometime during that long day, Jessie’s friend took her to one side. “I didn’t understand how quickly it had to be done and how many people could be helped,” she said. “I’ve learned a valuable lesson today.”

Four people’s lives were saved. One recipient is the head coordinator of the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program, who works mostly with the Filipino population of Hawaii. Another became vice-president of the Transplant Association of Hawaii. The recipients’ families have grown. As honored guests, the Ginozas have attended first birthday parties and graduation parties of families they had never known before.  As Jessie says, “Steven’s donation has multiplied far beyond what we could ever have expected.”

This story from the book The Gift That Heals shows the impact the simple decision of signing up to become an organ donor can make.

The need for registered organ donors is massive. According to donatelife.net:

·         More than 115,000 men, women and children currently need lifesaving organ transplants.

·         Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.

·         An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.

·         In 2011, there were 8,127 deceased organ donors and 6,017 living organ donors resulting in 28,535 organ transplants.

·         Last year, more than 42,000 grafts were made available for transplant by eye banks within the United States.

              Imagine the satisfaction of knowing that even after your death you can benefit the lives of others. With less effort than donating blood. Less pain than donating bone marrow. Less financial obligation than donating money. Because the costs of organ harvesting are covered by the donor hospital.

           You can go into this process knowing that in the majority of cases one or more of your organs can be used. Your skin can be used for grafts for burn victims. Maybe your kidneys are viable and someone can stop living on dialysis. My niece died from cancer at the age of 22. Even though the cancer had metastasized to most of her body, her eyes were able to be donated to help someone see. This was a great comfort to my brother who had just lost his baby girl.

                You never know who you could go onto help. From The Gift of Life we have multiple stories of people who were saved. For example a police officer was shot in the line of duty 29 days before retiring. One of his many surgeries involved getting bone filler put into the six inch hole in the bone of his leg. He is now able to golf, fish, and enjoy his retirement.

                Or there is the author of that books personal story. During an attempted car-jacking in Italy his 7 year old son, Nicholas, was shot. His organs went on to help 7 people. But equally importantly Nicholas’ gift touched the world. The prime minister and president of Italy asked to see his parents, they were flown home in the president’s aircraft, and the honor guard that escorted them performed the ceremony due to a national hero. Streets, squares, schools, and the largest hospital in Italy are named after Nicholas. The media coverage from this story was a catalyst to increase education about organ donation. In Italy alone organ donation rates have tripled.

                Consider the ripple effect of donating. As in the case of one of Nicholas’ recipients, the donation saved the life of a young woman and she went on to have  two children. That is two lives that would have never happened without organ donation. Who knows what impact you could have.

            The decision to donate may be a difficult one for you but the actual process to register is simple.  Simply saying yes I want to be an organ donor the next time you go to the DMV is an excellent first step. Also notifying your family of your wishes is beneficial. Putting your wishes into a living will is an excellent idea. But, you may not have your driver’s license with you, your living will probably isn’t on file with that hospital, and family members may not be able to make the decision in that moment of grief. This is why signing up with your states registry is essential. The process  is incredibly simple. I timed myself and it took only 5 minutes and 30 seconds.  First go to www.organdonor.gov. In the top right hand corner is a drop box for the states. Choose your state and the system will walk you through the steps.

                In the event that you aren’t signed up or have your wishes in a living will your immediate family has the right to say whether or not your organs will be donated. Even if you have told everyone you know, including the head of the transplant team and the president of the United States, that you want your organs donated, if you don’t have legal documentation that shows your wishes your next of kin makes the decision. What if your mom and dad or spouse decide in the heat of the moment that they can’t stand the thought of you going to the grave without all your body parts. (This is a common fear surrounding organ donation)  But, once you have registered no one but you can change that decision.

                I urge everyone to register to donate as soon as possible. You never know when you could save someone else’s life.