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Organ Donation Saves Lives
More than 30,000 Americans are now waiting for an organ transplant. According to Elizabeth Strock, public education director for the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) and former director of public affairs at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, the number of people waiting for organ transplants has increased sharply over the past few years. "In fact, a new name is added to the national waiting list for transplants every 20 minutes," she says.
Unfortunately, the number of organ donors has remained fairly constant over the past few years, despite advances in medical technology that have increased the number of people who are eligible for organ transplants. "Part of the problem," says Dr. Michael Shapiro, surgeon, and chief of the Beth Israel Hospital Transplant Division, "is that the public is not aware of how great the need for organ donors has become. We have advanced medical technology so that we can perform more transplants and improve the likelihood of favorable outcomes, but none of this will effect a real change if people are not willing to become donors."
Beth Israel performs 22 to 30 kidney transplants annually, and plans to do three to five pancreas transplants in 1993. BI's waiting list for transplants, however, continues to escalate because of the shortage of donors. Heart, liver, and lung donations are also critically needed by potential transplant recipients around the world.
Know the Facts
Joan Abrams, RN, clinical transplant coordinator at Beth Israel, works with patients awaiting transplants and with families of potential organ donors. "It's a very difficult subject to approach with the family of someone who has just died tragically, but it is imperative for those people to realize that they have an opportunity to offer someone else the gift of life," explains Abrams. Organ donation can even help a family during the grieving process, she says, because donor families might find solace in the knowledge that the donation is a way to extract some good from the death of a loved one.
Many issues cloud the subject of organ donation, and an important component of Abrams' role is to clarify some of these misconceptions. "It's a matter of public awareness," Abrams says. "If people understand the facts about organ donation, they probably will feel less uneasy, and hopefully be more inclined to consider becoming donors."
To address some commonly asked questions, Abrams highlights these facts about organ donation:
Organ donation never compromises the donor's own health care.
Transplants are performed at no cost to the donor or the donor's family.
All major religious denominations in America support organ donation.
Allocation of organs is guaranteed to be fair, with no preference given on the basis of the potential recipient's race or wealth.
The family's approval for donation must be given, even if the donor has signed an organ donor card.
The donor's body is not disfigured and the procedure does not delay funeral arrangements.
One of the main concerns that people have regarding organ donation is that the donor's life might somehow be compromised in order to provide needed organs.
"This is absolutely not true," contends Abrams. "A medical professional's first priority is to do everything within their power to keep a patient alive." The medical team treating the patient is not involved in the transplant process and an objective neurological specialist must pronounce that an individual is brain dead before the question of organ donation arises. The term "brain dead" refers to the irreversible loss of all brain function. The person's other organs may still be maintained artificially by a respirator, but will never function again without external means.
A Donor Recipient's Perspective
Robert Garnett is one patient who clearly benefited from a kidney transplant. Owner of "Strutters," a vintage clothing store in Back Bay, Boston, Garnett also supplies costumes for films. Before his transplant operation at Beth Israel in 1989, Garnett required three- to five-hour dialysis treatments three times a week. "I travel a lot in order to procure clothing for my stores and for the films that I costume," he says. "It's a relief to be free from dialysis when travelling."
Shapiro emphasizes that donor recipients must be committed to their follow-up care because transplantation is a treatment, not a cure. Garnett now receives complete follow-up care at BI once every two months. While he had some difficulty adjusting to the immunosuppressive drug treatment following his surgery, he takes it all in stride. "I've had tremendous support from the staff at BI. I regard the people here as my medical family," he says with a grin.
What would he recommend to people who are unsure about organ donation? "Go for it!" Garnett replies emphatically, "I'm living proof that transplant surgery works and that donating organs posthumously can make a real difference."
Becoming an Organ Donor
VHL patients themselves are not kidney donor candidates because of the possibility of tumors developing in their kidneys. However, we can all be advocates raising everyone's consciousness of the importance of signing up for a donor program. In many states and countries, it's as easy as filling out a card when you renew your driver's license. You should carry a Donor Card with you, and you should advise your family of your wishes.
Many people do not even think about becoming donors until they meet someone who has received a transplant, or who may need one. Whatever the impetus, says Abrams, signing up to be a donor is easy. Call a large medical center near you, or one of the following numbers:
The Examiner, newsletter of Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, April 1993. Photograph courtesy of Beth Israel Hospital Photographic Services Department. ©Beth Israel Corporation, 1993. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Additional information on organ transplantation is available through TransWeb as published in June 1993, VHLFF 1:2
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