I want Emily to live...3 minutes of your time could save her life

Bun

I agree. One of my friends had a successful kidney and pancreas transplant a couple of years ago. I have been on the register. Luckily all my next of kin are aware of and agree with my wishes, but I do not see any reason why/how they can overturn my decision.Quite frankly it is none of their business to override my own wishes. I would also like to register my 2yr old son , but am unable to. If the unthinkable happens I would like everything possible to be done to help others, but it appears I can only do this at the time. Pity if god forbid anything happens to all of us at once.

Keep up the good work! Good luck to your friend Emily, it does happen!

Poppycat

Emmie you probably no I added donor to my system a while back. I add a link to this post to remind people like your friend and many other countless unfortunate people who need a donor urgently.

grex9101

the word is that doctors will not try as hard to resusctitate a critical patient if they're an organ donor, they see the patient's death as benefitting someone else.

Don't flame me, this is just what i have heard (from a number of sources)

EmmieHarris

Hiya Gregx

I wanted to respond to your concern as it is one of many common fears relating to organ donation. When we were building the Live Life Then Give Life website (https://www.livelifethengivelife.co.uk) we decided to have a section that addressed such fears and concerns and it was my task to carefully research all these issues and find out the answers to them.

The concern about the medical team not trying as hard to save the lives of people who are registered organ donors is a common one but I can assure you that it is based on myth alone. The following website explains why the medical team caring for you will always put your life as a priority and about the fact that the team caring for you would be totally separate from any transplant team:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/donation/flashjourney_index3.shtml

On the above website you can watch an audio-visual interview with Dr Martin Smith, a consultant in Neurocritical Care who explains why there is no risk of the medical team doing anything less than 100% to save the life of a patient. He makes the point that the Intensive Care team looking after a patient do not even know whether or not that patient has chosen to be an organ donor at any stage during the time they are trying to save your life.

Only after someone has been pronounced dead, would the matter of transplantation be investigated. A completely separate medical team would then take over, if your relatives decided that they wished to give consent for the matter to be taken further.

I hope that helps to allay your concerns. As I say, more answers to questions and concerns can be found on our website (as well as links to find out further information about common fears).

Take care
Emma x

EmmieHarris

Hi Dezzie
Thank you for your kind comments! There is no age limit for being an organ donor. The oldest donor of organs so far was an 82-year old and the oldest cornea donor was 101 years old (the cornea is a small disc of cells in the eye that when donated, allows a visually impaired person to see again). Hope that helps!
Emma x

bulchy

I'm on the register, but unfortunately my daughter doesnt agree with this. Shes only 15 so I'm hoping as she gets older and wiser, she will have a change of heart. My OH and son are both aware, and dont have a problem with this. I just hope if anything was to happen to me, it wouldnt cause any arguments between them all. Will be showing her this thread and all the links, to hopefully help her to see its the right thing to do.
Sue

skint-78

This thread is great! Its interesting to read about money savers opinions on this. It seems a good random cross section.

Thanks Emma for posting this, on behalf of your friend Emily, and yourself. To Emily, I would just say that I hope that a suitable match is found, and that you draw on the support of your friends and family at low times. To Emma, good on you for raising the profile of organ donation!
Also you must have been spurred on by the memory of the friends that you have sadly lost, whilst they waited for a transplant.
I also have a number friends who have lived short lives whilst waiting for transplants that have sadly not materialised.

I know how important organ donation is from a few perspectives.

Firstly I was reassured, when I lost my Gran at 83 years old, that some good could come from her death. Although she was unable to donate organs, she did donate her corneas. She would have been over the moon, I am sure, to know that her wishes had been carried out. I think she had probably imagined that "by her age", it would be too late for her wishes to be carried out. Maybe her card was just collecting dust in the back of her purse. I don't know, but I am glad that as a family we fully supported her wishes.

From a different perspective, I have watched my brother and dad wait on the kidney transplant list, so that put things into perspective for me. They did both receive sucessful transplants due to the kindness of 2 strangers in this country. I always think that it was also down to the support of these peoples wishes by their nearest and dearest, at a time that they were consumed with their own grief. I think this is an amazing act.

I had always carried the card from the earliest opportunity possible...I think I first got one when I was about 6 when my Dad was poorly when I decided i was going to take the world on, and sort it out! Obviously I didn't! At that time, I thought that I could do it single handedly!

Then at 21 my kidneys also failed, and having waited on the transplant waiting list for 3 and a half years, I had my transplant a year ago.
There were times at first that I thought that the transplant would be round the corner, and then as time went on, and I became increasingly ill, and I saw friends deteriorate and pass away, there were times that I lost hope. I am glad that I hung on in there.
I realise that I was exceedingly lucky, and that sadly this is not the norm for people waiting for a transplant.

I would urge people to give it alot of thought. Serious thought. If you decide that you want to donate your organs, I think you have to be certain so that your family see how strongly you believe in your pledge. This way, it may assist them in making the final decision at a time of grief (As the reality is that most donors die in tragic circumstances).

I have had friends say to me that they would carry a donor card, but daren't, others who will carry a card, but wouldn't allow their partner's heart to be donated because it "belongs" to them. Others are on the organ donor register with no reservations.
It is obviously a very emotional subject.

I hope in my life time I will see the law change, and that the decision will be made that people will need to opt out of organ donation, as opposed to opting in. I think I read that this was rejected quite recently.

EmmieHarris

Hiya Skint
What an emotional rollercoaster it sounds like your entire family has been on over the last few years :shocked: I am so pleased to hear that you, your Dad and brother have all successfully received kidney transplants. I know from watching friends who have been on the list what a confusing and stressful time it is...waiting and waiting and all the time your health deteriorating, whilst knowing that there is such a high chance that the transplant won't come in time.
It's great to hear your Granny gave sight to two other people also by donating her corneas (not the eyes themselves in case anyone is freaked out by the concept..it's a small part of the eye!) What a lasting memory to leave behind! :beer:
Take care and wishing all the best for excellent health in the future!
Emma x

skint-78

I think rather than anything else it makes you appreciate life, and willing to give to others...even if its half your sarnie at work cos someone forgot theirs!

wonderfullife_2

Hi
My sister had a kidney transplant about 5yrs ago, and she has gone from strength to strength, definately a life saver and a life changer.

I've told everybody/anybody that they can have what they want from me, and I always carry my donor card.

I believe we should have the same system as the Dutch, you have to opt out, rather than opt in which we have, its never made sense to me to do it this way, relatives are not in the right frame of mind, to decide this, so quickly after they have lost someone.

I hope you get all the support and loads of people sign up