what're your reasons for not being on the organ donor registry?

barbiedoll

This is an excellent post and it's good to make people think why they don't sign up to be donors. As the recent ad campaign pointed out, most people would be happy to receive a donated organ, should they need one. Yet if you ask them to sign up to donate, they are full of silly excuses as to why they shouldn't. :mad:

I think that the most common reason why donation is refused, especially when relatives are asked in hospital, is at the point when people realise that donors are kept "alive" so that the organs can be used. This is seen as quite horrific by many people, and I can see why. Jojo2004's argument, as used by her mum, is another common misconception, I think that many people have this idea that doctors and nurses get paid for each organ that they manage to harvest!

But I have known a couple of people whose lives have been transformed by donation, and one of those is the relative of a donor. She told me that knowing that her husband's death wasn't totally in vain, helped her to cope with her loss. The person who received a kidney, had her life transformed and will be eternally grateful. Her donor was a young person who was fatally injured in a road accident, his death saved the life of at least four people. What a legacy and what a lovely way to be remembered. It's the ultimate selfless act and one which will have no impact on the donor's life at all.

Personally, I've signed up and they can have what they like. As far as I'm concerned, it's not going to be any use to me, and I always have loved the idea of recycling!

crazyguy

There mine all mine and no one is getting bits and pieces of me when I am dead thats for sure,

missesther

crazyguy wrote: »

There mine all mine and know one is getting bits and pieces of me when I am dead thats for sure,

"know one"?

Oliver14

brettcta wrote: »

i have been on the organ donor register since i was 16. i have been speaking to people recently who aren't on it and got some rather bizarre responses (bizarre to me anyway). some people saying that they don't like the idea of being cut open when they die or 'god gave them to me, so they're mine'.

Why be so off hand and dismissive with peoples feelings?

I actually find your whole post pretty offensive. Your statements about organs rotting away totally dismiss how people feel. If it doesn't matter what happens after your dead why was there the major search and trying to piece piece victims bodies together after 9/11 if it doesn't matter why all the fuss? Why do the soldiers bodies get flown home if it doesn't matter what happen is after your dead. It may not matter to you but it matters to those left behind.

As for the opt out scheme. I personally think any government should not have default power over my body. That's a dangerous road to go down. Giving of organs is a wonderful gift people can give but it should be that a gift and a choice.

And no I'm not on the register which is just my moral choice. As is the choice of other members of my family to be on the register.

I must admit I'm sick to death of this holier than than thou attitude people seem to have and the implications that your just being rather silly if your not on the register.

Peoples feelings matter even if you don't understand them.

rustyboy21

Elle7 wrote: »

I'm not. I have always presumed I wouldn't be allowed to donate as I'm not allowed to give blood...I have never looked into it, though.

I planned to be on the list, and had my card ready to carry round when I got to 16, until I went to my grandma's funeral. I saw her lying in the house of rest...someone was sewing up her lips, and its haunted me ever since. She donated her eyes, which was horrific to look at before she was 'ready' to be seen, and she had massive scars where her organs had been removed. No one checked it was okay for me to go in at 7...I wanted to say goodbye, no one came with me.

She also had someone show us her lungs...covered in soot and blackness from smoking for years. I've never forgotten either, and it was an excellent (but very traumatic) way to stop us from ever smoking. Although it might have put me off death and organ donation too.

Was it in a chapel of rest at a Funeral Directors? If so they should be stuck off the register.

A body which has been through a post mortem, is stitched back up by the pathologist and cannot/should not be opened again by a Funeral Director, unless Embalming took place, however after embalming, the body is stitched up again anyway. There shouldn't be any chance of you being shown your grandmothers lungs, it is not ethical and should be impossible to do. Stitching her mouth up, should have been done when she was received by the funeral directors and her eyes would/should have been made to look perfect by the hospital before collection. I find it hard to believe that this happened. In any case, you should have been refused permission to view her body. The reason why I know this is because my dad is a Funeral Director and I have helped out in the past.

rustyboy21

brettcta wrote: »

i have been on the organ donor register since i was 16. i have been speaking to people recently who aren't on it and got some rather bizarre responses (bizarre to me anyway). some people saying that they don't like the idea of being cut open when they die or 'god gave them to me, so they're mine'.

i agree with the sentiment that was banded around a few years ago that it should be an opt out system, rather than opt in. my own view is that once i'm dead, they'll be no use to me, so someone else (potentially more than one person) might aswell benefit from something that would otherwise rot away.

if you're not on the register, why not? what use are you going to have for your valuable organs when you're 6 feet under?

if you've never got round to doing it, http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/ - it takes less than 5 minutes to sign up

Same here Have been registered from 16, now on computer register too. Only things I said don't want removing is my Corneas, mostly 'cos they are shot to pieces anyway !

I Didn't find your post offensive and dismissive, I feel that we should be on same system as a lot of Europe i.e agreed consent.

What amazes me is that people who have recieved organ donation or know someone who is on the list, still find it disgusting that they should be asked to donate.

We are only lent this body, it's not yours. I want to be cremated, so there will be nothing left anyway, let someone else have a bit of it , if they need it !

Elle7

rustyboy21 wrote: »

Was it in a chapel of rest at a Funeral Directors? If so they should be stuck off the register.

A body which has been through a post mortem, is stitched back up by the pathologist and cannot/should not be opened again by a Funeral Director, unless Embalming took place, however after embalming, the body is stitched up again anyway. There shouldn't be any chance of you being shown your grandmothers lungs, it is not ethical and should be impossible to do. Stitching her mouth up, should have been done when she was received by the funeral directors and her eyes would/should have been made to look perfect by the hospital before collection. I find it hard to believe that this happened. In any case, you should have been refused permission to view her body. The reason why I know this is because my dad is a Funeral Director and I have helped out in the past.

I'm 21 now, I don't know if the fact this happened a while ago makes any difference?

Regardless, I wasn't aware of the process, so I never complained. I know my grandma left instructions that she was to be 'prepared' by a friend of hers in the trade, and had asked them to show us her lungs. I don't know if she was going to do it...there were a lot of family politics and I was in care at the time, I went into town on my own and went to the directors. They weren't expecting me but they also didn't say I couldn't go in...when they saw the effect it had, they quickly took me out and called my foster parents.

At least I know that this isn't usual practise, I've refused to go into a House of Rest since for fear of what would be happening. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

hightara

on the register since i was in my teens, if my organs can be used to save a life or enhance someones life then they can take what they want

and yes, in my opinion its a better option than letting them rot away or be worm fodder. nothing offensive about facts.

GOOD POST BRETTCTA!

cant help but feel that many people who would not donate, would accept an organ if it were needed for themselves or their loved ones.

shellsuit

rustyboy21 wrote: »

Same here Have been registered from 16, now on computer register too. Only things I said don't want removing is my Corneas, mostly 'cos they are shot to pieces anyway !

I Didn't find your post offensive and dismissive, I feel that we should be on same system as a lot of Europe i.e agreed consent.

What amazes me is that people who have recieved organ donation or know someone who is on the list, still find it disgusting that they should be asked to donate.

We are only lent this body, it's not yours. I want to be cremated, so there will be nothing left anyway, let someone else have a bit of it , if they need it !

What the hell?!

My body isn't my body? It was lent to me? By who?!

If my body should belong to anyone else other than me (which it doesn't, it's MY body!), then it would belong to my parents, who created me.

If people don't want to go on the register, that is entirely upto them and nobody should think bad of them at all.

rustyboy21

Elle7 wrote: »

I'm 21 now, I don't know if the fact this happened a while ago makes any difference?

Regardless, I wasn't aware of the process, so I never complained. I know my grandma left instructions that she was to be 'prepared' by a friend of hers in the trade, and had asked them to show us her lungs. I don't know if she was going to do it...there were a lot of family politics and I was in care at the time, I went into town on my own and went to the directors. They weren't expecting me but they also didn't say I couldn't go in...when they saw the effect it had, they quickly took me out and called my foster parents.

At least I know that this isn't usual practise, I've refused to go into a House of Rest since for fear of what would be happening. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

It's been like that for many years. You shouldn't have been put in that position and any funeral dierctor in their right mind shouldn't let you be put in that position.

The Art of a good, even mediocre Funeral Director, should be that the relatives of a deceased person, see their loved one as they saw them in life, just asleep.

I went to the funeral of a young lad I used to work with, he died aged 22 of an asthma attack. His family and friends put loads of things in his coffin, teddies, booze, ciggies etc, love letters you name it. There were people stopping off to see him all hours of the day. He had organised before he died that a huge pink Humvee limo would take his mates to the service, we had comedy stories in the Church, I was crying my eyes out over the loss of someone so young, But I remember him in a good way.

Thats how a Funeral should be held, a celebration of life, not horror scenes. Remember her as she was too you a good Gran.

I am so sorry you had to go through that, the Director should be shot !:mad: